Footwear Design: @Antonio_Arocho - Fashion Design: @iRemain__ - Styling and Production: @Zoccoletta_Ufficiale
Rationale
This project addresses and identify the flaws of the current fashion industry. It explores new technologies that can be use now or in the future to provide alternative way to design and produce fashion. The project aims at having a positive impact on our society in terms of sustainability, ethical choices and inclusivity. Designing a prototype collection entirely digitally in order to only produce what has been purchased will be the main experiment of the project. This gives the ability to explore the benefits and limitations of this design process.
Design and development
This project is mostly research based but for the purpose of the experiment, it has been decided to use a full design process of a fashion collection in order to explore the benefits and limitations of designing digitally.
This decision has been made in order to test if designing virtually is possible even for complex garments and patterns. That way if it is possible for more complex design it would be very easy for simple ones.
Response to context
The concept of this project is designed as a response to the context of the fashion industry that became a problematic matter. As mentioned previously the social and environmental ethics of the fashion industry are proven being questionable. Indeed the human rights and working conditions of the people who are making our clothes are often denied or looked over. Moreover, the extremely fast turnover of the collections requires a tremendous amount of resources such as water, fuel and energy. On top of this the unsold stock is often disposed of on landfill or destroyed to prevent people to use and wear it. It has been mentioned previously that the apparent choice in fashion line is rarely inclusive of different body shapes and bodies In general. The same slim and fully able silhouette is the standard target of most fashion brands.
In such dark times, it is easy to feel hopeless about the future that is rapidly approaching. That is why people tend to find a way to escape this gloomy reality, for a better utopian society.
This is why the collection designed for this project is based on fantasy and magical places where the imagination is the limit. A place where people can escape and dream of a better way of living.
Concept
The concept is to create a digital collection to be presented before the consumers buy it. That way it is made possible to make the garments adaptable to every single individual who would like to purchase it.
The inspiration for this collection is coming from fantasy. In critical times or when people feel like they don’t fit anywhere, they tend to escape to a utopian fantastical world. Stepping into a different reality hoping for a better society.
As perception is unique to every single individual, the outfits are the result of traveling to worlds that reference different points of views of reality. The collection is inspired by 5 imaginary places, some elements of these 5 worlds are embedded in the garments as a reminder to keep an open mind to things that may differ from our own beliefs and reality.
Narrative
Narratives and stories that are based on challenging the fabric of reality were imagined to create immersive and emotional experience with the collection.
As perception in unique to each individual, this was a topic that needed to be developed and reflected in the collection. This also emphasis the individuality of every single human being.
The story behind the collection is about travelling to worlds that reference different aspect of perception and reality.
Five different places that are connected to each other have been imagined. Popular iconography and movies have been used to inspire and trigger the imagination of the potential wearers.
The garments of this collection have been created by the designer who explored these 5 different worlds and collected various elements from each fantasy places.
The outfits are a mix of the five digital worlds to offer wearable pieces in the physical world.
As everybody has a different body shape the design would be digitally adapted to the person who is willing to wear the garments. For this same reason people with physical disabilities can benefit from such a system.
Prototyping
In order to experiment with this research two techniques have been used.
The first one is to drape and toile in the physical world to create a digital twin of the physical garment.
The second one is to drape and toile in the digital world and transfer it to the physical world to be made and compare the results.
This section details the achievements and limitations of these two techniques.
from physical reality to digital reality
Prototype 1 - coat
· Photogrammetry (digitising toiles)
· Photogrammetry of fashion accessories (digital styling)
· Scanning/digitising patterns
· Importing in 3D software
· Reporting measurement in Lectra
· Scanning fabric
· CLO fabric digitizing
Photogrammetry
draping on the stand. recording the toile by filming it from every angles. An appropriate software to stitch all the angles together is used to create a 3D model of the toile that you can play with here.
from digital to physical
Prototype 2 - Trousers
· Design in 3D digitally
· Assemble patterns and digital fittings
· Fabric properties
· Printing patterns
· Laser cut fabric / engrave seam allowance
· Research on printing woven fabric
· Knowledge of physical fabric properties, and patterns to be able to have accurate 3D designs comparable to the physical results
example Digital Tailoring: https://www.clo3d.com/clollab/artwork/3625
Worldwide collaboration
Collaborating with footwear digital designer based in Puerto Rico
And Collaboration with Styling and production student based in France during lockdown
Isolation does not stop digital design and working collaboratively around the world
Adaptability and inclusivity
Researching a changeable silhouette/avatar
To present the outfits in an inclusive way, some research has been made to find a suitable silhouette or avatar that could be versatile enough to represent a wide range of body shapes.
The idea came from the Lake of wonders where the creatures living there have a body that changes shapes all the time. A very ‘fluid’ body.
Eventually the decision was taken to not have an avatar at all. This option can still be considered for certain characters in films and videos but for human representation an invisible body is preferred.
The garments would still be draped and fitted to the avatar, sometimes different avatars, but the body would be made invisible. The render and the drape of the fabric would be the same as with a visible body. Doing it this way gives more room to the viewer to project themselves before getting their measurement taken in order to have an avatar to their body shape.
Eventually, the person who get their body scan to can have a digital version of themselves where they can view their own body wearing the collections.
Adapting the design
Inclusivity:
Grading the design up or down to give a better fit to the consumer is not enough to be fully inclusive.
Some people require special needs because of their disabilities. Also not everyone wants to hide their ‘unusual’ body. Some people embrace their bodies and their own flaws and some people don’t. If we take the example of missing a leg, some people may want to hide it and some people would actually embrace it and be proud of their difference.
It is also important to address the body insecurities that people may have with their bodies. The goal of this project is to make every customer feel good about their own body no matter how different they could be.
Scanning bodies
Digital Grading on consumer’s avatar
· The current technology available
Photogrammetry
Body scan
Rigged avatar (radical app) https://getrad.co
· The body changes over time - The naked case study
https://nakedlabs.com/shop/naked
bodies are changing over time and are not a fixed data. Having a mirror that records the body changes at home or in store.
Presentation options
AR catwalk
The initial idea of the project would be to present a catwalk where models would walk down with a motion tracker suit. For the audience to be able to visualise the outfits augmented reality glasses would be provided to view a virtual layer of clothing on top of the moving models. After reflexion Catwalks are often organised and perceived as exclusive events. Is a catwalk show the most inclusive way to present the project? That is why this idea was eventually left aside to explore more inclusive media.
Instagram, TikTok and social media
Using Augmented Reality Instagram filters to present a digital garment that every individual user can interact with through their devices. A digital layer is added on top of the physical reality to integrate the outfits in our world.
Hologram
@iremain__ belly dancing shirt. ##funny ##dance ##3d ##digital ##art ##fashion ##fyp ##foryou ##foryourpage
♬ Stil D.R.E. Remix - thelilcg
@iremain__ baby it's a look!distorted reality coat#di#gitalart #cl#o3d #fa#shion #de#sign #fa#shiondesign #di#gital #3d#
♬ Look - Leikeli47