VF International chooses the Crea CAD suite to strengthen pattern-making processes

A global group with a portfolio of iconic brands

VF Corporation is one of the world’s leading groups in the apparel, footwear, and equipment sectors, with a portfolio of active lifestyle brands including The North Face®, Vans®, and Timberland®.

VF International is the group’s EMEA headquarters, based in Stabio, Switzerland, and acts as a key reference point for several VF portfolio brands, including Napapijri, The North Face, Vans, Timberland, Smartwool, and Altra.

In such a broad, multi-brand structure, where different product categories, international markets, technical teams, and complex development workflows coexist, pattern making requires reliable, flexible tools capable of adapting to structured processes.

The need: making CAD work more fluid in an international context

For a group like VF International, CAD is not just a technical tool. It is a central part of the product development process.

Each brand has its own requirements: high-performance outdoor garments, lifestyle apparel, workwear, technical products, seasonal collections, variants, materials, and different fits. In this scenario, pattern making must be fast, precise, and easily integrated into company workflows.

The need was therefore to equip selected workstations with a CAD solution capable of supporting pattern design, simplifying file management, and making daily technical work more efficient.

For this reason, VF International chose selected workstations of the Crea CAD suite.

The solution: the Crea CAD suite

The Crea CAD suite is designed for the creation, modification, and size grading of apparel patterns. Create allows users to design new patterns, archive existing ones, and work on lines, points, notches, seams, pieces, size grading, and technical modifications within an intuitive and organized environment.

One of the suite’s key strengths is interoperability. Create makes it possible to manage files and information coming from different environments, maintaining continuity in technical work and reducing manual steps.

For an international company like VF, this aspect is decisive: it means working on heterogeneous archives, files, and workflows while preserving order, precision, and operational continuity.

The solution: the Crea CAD suite

The Crea CAD suite is designed for the creation, modification, and size grading of apparel patterns. Create allows users to design new patterns, archive existing ones, and work on lines, points, notches, seams, pieces, size grading, and technical modifications within an intuitive and organized environment.

One of the suite’s key strengths is interoperability. Create makes it possible to manage files and information coming from different environments, maintaining continuity in technical work and reducing manual steps.

For an international company like VF, this aspect is decisive: it means working on heterogeneous archives, files, and workflows while preserving order, precision, and operational continuity.

Interoperability: the real strategic point

In a global group, complexity does not come only from the number of brands, but also from the number of stakeholders involved: internal teams, international offices, suppliers, production partners, pattern makers, and product development departments.

The Crea CAD suite responds to this need by fitting into structured workflows and making the exchange of technical information easier. This allows teams to work with greater openness, maintaining continuity between different departments and reducing operational friction.

For VF International, the adoption of Crea CAD workstations therefore represents a choice focused on flexibility: not a rigid system, but a technical tool capable of integrating into already structured and international processes.

The benefits for VF International

By introducing selected workstations of the Crea CAD suite, VF International strengthens its pattern-making workflow.

The main benefits include:

  • greater efficiency in pattern design and modification;
  • more organized management of CAD archives;
  • better continuity between files, departments, and external partners;
  • reduced manual steps;
  • more effective support for multi-brand product development;
  • faster daily technical operations;
  • greater control over the pattern-making process;
  • increased operational flexibility in an international context.

Conclusion

VF International’s choice confirms the value of the Crea CAD suite even in global, structured, and multi-brand environments.

For a group managing iconic brands such as The North Face, Vans, Timberland, Napapijri, Smartwool, and Altra, having flexible and interoperable CAD tools means improving technical work without making processes rigid.

VF International chose the Crea CAD suite to make pattern making more efficient, open, and suited to the complexity of an international multi-brand ecosystem.