Pick up a designer handbag or luxury fashion garment and chances are that any of the accessories on it – the zips, buttons, clasps and buckles – were made by AMF. The Italian maker of metal and non-metal accessories for garments, shoes and leather goods is the supplier of choice for the most famous global fashion brands, renowned for its high product quality and creative flair.

“Not only do we produce the highest quality garment and leather good accessories, but we have very strong internal design capabilities,” said Andrea Vittadini, COO of AMF. “Our clients come to us for ideas.”

When AMF opened a new design office in Paris, its aim was to collaborate on designs even more effectively with its high-fashion clients and be at the heart of the action. Now, instead of scanning paper drawings and going back and forth to share ideas, AMF’s designers can meet with clients, collaborate in real time and bring designs to life in 3D. All live sketches and renderings are done on tablets using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on cloud.

“In many ways we’re an extension of these brands, so the goal of the Paris office was to bring the brand style teams closer to our designers and engineers, and draft their ideas in real time,” Vittadini said.

Not only does this approach allow AMF to work more effectively, but it’s helping to break down barriers and encourage more creative houses to move away from their traditional ways – sketching drawings on paper – and embrace modern technologies.

Read the full story here to discover how the Italian manufacturer uses the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to work even closer with its customers and help transform the fashion industry for the better.