by helene.goedl -

30 | Digital Fashion – Practical Work: Comparing the Digital Fashion Design Process to the Traditional Fashion Design Process

In this final blog entry, I want to reflect on the digital fashion design process, especially compared to the traditional fashion design process and approaches I discussed in the previous entry. With this exploration, I want to relay the experiences I have had so far while designing digital clothing pieces that are meant to be digital end products and anticipate possible challenges as well as opportunities for new creative potential. 

Just as in the traditional fashion design process, the starting point for digital fashion design is often a phase of intensive research and collecting sources of inspiration. As opposed to the traditional design process, the sources this inspiration might be drawn from can gravitate towards digital instances. It is common that the final environment the design will be shown in influences the process of collecting impulses. In traditional design, this accordingly can include historical and cultural influences, art, nature, and personal experiences1. The digital process can very well include the step of creating a mood board to organise ideas through images, color palettes, textures, and patterns for inspiration2. Overall, this step of the process can look very similar to the analog fashion design process with a possible wider range of inspiration sources that can be included.

In the conceptualisation and sketching phase, my experience has shown that for a digital design, the tools for this step are more likely to be digital. In my processes so far, I have used reference materials and 3D models to capture the general direction I want for the final garment. I have also found that the sketching process is less important to me, because I have felt that moving straight into the 3D program and starting to model is sometimes easier and the more direct root for externalising my thoughts and explore possibilities.

Design boards are a step I have skipped in the digital process so far, but since I have so far only designed individual digital pieces, I might incorporate the creation of a design board for the development of a cohesive collection. Showcasing each design’s fabrics, colours, and details, will be important to visualise how the pieces will work together in a cohesive collection2.  

In the fabric selection step, the digital process differs most significantly from the traditional process. Since there is no tangible fabric, the selection of digital “materials” depends much more on their behaviour and movement on the model. What I found interesting in the digital process is that I can test different materials straight on the finished or in-progress model of the piece. I can make a pre-visualisation and see how the chosen material moves, how it works with the cut of the piece and if it has any behaviours that do not work with the piece. From the factors influencing fabric selection in the traditional fashion design process – such as weight, texture, drape, durability, and maintenance requirements2 – only the factors of texture, weight and drape can really translate into the digital process.

Creating prototypes or samples is significantly more integrated with the concept phase in digital fashion design. The lines between sketching, prototyping, and final product are not as strict because changes are more easy to make on digital garments. Testing the fit, functionality, and appearance of the designs on real or dummy models in the traditional fashion design process usually translates to testing the garment on an animated moving model in the digital process. In this stage, it is crucial to see if the digital model creates problems in the interaction with the movement of the model, such as clipping or unanticipated movements.

The question of sustainability is also relevant for digital fashion design. Digital fashion has been discussed as a vehicle for enabling a more sustainability in the fast-paced fashion system3. Short-lived trends and experimental ideas can be explored more quickly and without resource waste in the digital space. It should be noted however, that digital tools can also be a strain on the environment, especially when they require high computing power such as 3D rendering.

The fashion design process, whether traditional or digital remains a complex journey that combines creativity, technical skill, and market awareness. The iterative nature of the process is even more prominent in the digital process, with a higher potential for designers to constantly evaluate and adjust their ideas throughout the development of a collection. One significant feature of the digital design process that has already come to light in my limited experience is the more fluent progression through the design steps. While the fluency is also present in the traditional process, the malleability of digital objects makes it even easier and invites it even more. Through my masters thesis, I hope to gain even more insights and make more concrete observations on the digital fashion design process and contribute to the establishment of the digital fashion design field in design research. 

1 Kapoor, “Fashion Designing and Fashion Trends in Current Scenario.”
2 Southwell, “Starting a Collection: The Fashion Design Process Explained.”
3 Driever, “Digital Fashion and the Environment – Can ‘Digital Fashion’ Be Used as a Medium for Sustainability in the Fashion Industry?”

Sources: 

Driever, Anne B. C. Digital Fashion and the Environment – Can “Digital Fashion” Be Used as a Medium for Sustainability in the Fashion Industry?, 2023.

Kapoor, Deepa. “Fashion Designing and Fashion Trends in Current Scenario.” International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology 11, no. 1 (January 27, 2023): 1491–94. https://doi.org/10.22214/ijraset.2023.48852.

Southwell, Elaine. “Starting a Collection: The Fashion Design Process Explained.” Elaine Southwell Designs (blog), November 30, 2023. https://elainesouthwelldesigns.com/fashion-design-process-2/.

by helene.goedl -

25 | Digital Fashion – Arriving at the Final Research Question 

Through the previous blog entries, I narrowed in my research topic to a specific area of digital fashion that proved to be my main interest. I was able to determine that I am mainly interested in exploring the design process specifically and that two factors in this process would be of special interest to me. These two factors are materiality and the body as a parameter of fashion design.

In the literature research, the topic of the body as a design parameter in fashion design was discovered to be a fairly recent focus of the research in the field. The body has always been central to fashion design, but an increasing interest in exploring its role has come up over the past decades. This trend extends to the digital fashion space. Baek et al. in their systematic review on digital fashion define the body as “the third most dominant theme within the digital fashion literature”1

This is not surprising, since the absence of the physical body is a central element in digital space by default. Apart from the digital space, the question of physicality remains an interesting topic in traditional fashion design as well. It is a continuous area of interest to investigate how consideration of the human body influences the design process, whether physical or digital. An example of an interesting study on the body in the design process is Julia Valle-Noronha’s design led study, which among other things poses the question if “the personal experience of wearing  clothes can be reflected on the making of new clothes”2

The factor of materiality is another central aspect of traditional fashion design. Materiality is crucial in fashion design because it directly impacts the aesthetics, functionality, sustainability, and emotional experience of a garment. It affects several crucial aspects of the design process and the final product. Materiality directly impacts aesthetic and design expression. The texture, drape, opacity, and sheen of a fabric all influence the final look and feel of a garment. Designers choose materials that align with their creative vision and their unique requirements for garments, whether it’s structured tailoring, flowing silhouettes, or avant-garde experimentation.

Materiality also determines a garment’s functionality and wearability. The choice of material affects factors such as wearer comfort, durability, breathability, and movement. A winter coat needs insulating fabrics, while activewear requires moisture-wicking and stretchable materials.

Advances in textiles, such as smart fabrics, biodegradable materials, and 3D-knitted garments, push the boundaries of fashion by offering new possibilities for design and performance.

The material factor also significantly influences considerations on sustainability and ethics. Designers are increasingly turning to recycled, organic, and biodegradable textiles to reduce waste and pollution. In connection to this, there are also economic and production factors that influence material choices. The cost and availability of materials affect the scalability of a design, influencing pricing, accessibility, and production feasibility.

On the more abstract end of the spectrum, materials often facilitate cultural and emotional connection to clothing. Fabrics often carry historical and cultural significance, connecting wearers to traditions, craftsmanship, and storytelling. Additionally, textures and materials evoke emotions and sensory experiences. This last aspect especially makes it challenging to think about the factor of materiality in digital spaces. An exciting experiment on the sensory experiences as a material in itself was introduced by Jan Tepe in 2021.3

Materiality is at the heart of fashion because it determines how a garment looks, feels, functions, and interacts with both the body and the environment.

Through evaluating these issues, I revisited my preliminary master thesis structure and finally arrived at the research question:

How do the parameters of materiality and the human body influence the design thinking process in digital fashion, and how do these constraints and possibilities compare to traditional fashion design workflows? 

Through this research question, the master thesis will explore the hypothesis that the shift from traditional to digital fashion design requires a fundamental change in design thinking with regards to designing fashion, as digital materiality and digital body shapes and characteristics redefine garment construction, functionality, and creative constraints. Digital fashion offers expanded creative possibilities in the design workflow of a collection but also introduces new limitations compared to traditional workflows. 

The main goals of the thesis are to design and develop a digital fashion micro collection in the form of three avant-garde full-body looks as a case study to explore the constraints and opportunities of digital fashion design. To analyse through a personal design project how digital materiality and (non)- human body shapes can impact the design thinking process compared to traditional fashion workflows. A further goal is to identify key differences and challenges in digital versus traditional fashion design, supported by expert interviews with traditional and digital fashion designers. Additionally, the thesis will document the design process of a personal digital fashion design project in depth, showcasing the iterative nature of digital fashion design and how designers must adapt to digital tools and environments. 

1 Baek et al., “Defining Digital Fashion: Reshaping the Field via a Systematic Review.”
2 Valle-Noronha, “The Body Within the Clothes: A Case Study on Clothing Design Practice From a Practitioner Viewpoint.”
3 Tepe, “Investigating Sensory Perception as a Material for Fashion Design,” May 8, 2021.

Sources: 

Baek, Eunsoo, Shelley Haines, Omar H. Fares, Zhihong Huang, Yuwei Hong, and Seung Hwan Mark Lee. “Defining Digital Fashion: Reshaping the Field via a Systematic Review.” Computers in Human Behavior 137 (August 4, 2022): 107407. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107407.

Tepe, Jan. “Investigating Sensory Perception as a Material for Fashion Design.” New York City, New York, United States of America, May 8, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1145/3411763.3450384.

Valle-Noronha, Julia. “The Body Within the Clothes: A Case Study on Clothing Design Practice From a Practitioner Viewpoint.” Conference Paper. Helsinki, Finland, 2017. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323336313_The_body_within_the_clothes_A_case_study_on_clothing_design_practice_from_a_practitioner_viewpoint.

Futher Reading:

Body and Space Research Lab. “The Body and Textiles at the Intersection of the Physical and Digital Through Movement — Body and Space Research Lab,” n.d. https://www.bodyandspace.com/the-body-and-textiles-at-the-intersection-of-the-physical-and digital-through-movement.

by helene.goedl -

24 | Digital Fashion – Topic Exploration 1: The Body in Fashion Design, our Relationship to Clothes and the Importance of Materialtiy

The relationship between the human body and fashion design is complex and multifaceted, with designers increasingly recognizing the importance of considering the dynamic nature of the body and the wearer’s experience. This shift in perspective is reshaping the approach to fashion design and our relationship with clothes. In the context of digital fashion design, the elements of the body, our relationship to clothes and the aspect of tangibility in experiencing fashion needs to be reevaluated and reimagined. In the following blogpost, I will discuss some ideas surrounding these concepts and point out how they might be explored further within the field of digital fashion design.

The Dynamic Body in Fashion Design

Fashion design is deeply connected to the human body and our ever-evolving societal understanding of it. In the past, fashion was often designed with a more static concept of the body in mind. But our ideals and standards around bodily expression are evolving to consider the body as a dynamic entity rather than a static form. Traditionally, garment patterns have been designed for a stationary, upright posture, which can lead to discomfort when the body is in motion1. To address this, researchers are developing new methodologies that incorporate the body’s various movements into the design process. For instance, a study conducted in 2024 created a mannequin that combines daily body motions, leading to the development of ‚distorted‘ block patterns that better conform to the mobile human form1. This study is only one instance of how considerations about the body are continuing to influence the fashion design process. In digital space however, the body becomes a more fluent concept and might even be completely excluded as a factor. But the question this brings is whether the absence of a body to dress would be a disqualifier for calling digital fashion “fashion” in the first place, or whether we would have to treat it as a new design discipline. 

Embodied Empathy in Fashion

Apart from mere practical considerations of the aspect of movement, the concept of embodied empathy is gaining traction in fashion design. This approach emphasizes sensitivity to the wearer’s physical experiences, shifting the focus from mere appearances to supporting bodily comportments2. By adopting this perspective, designers can create garments that not only look good but also feel comfortable and enable natural movement. Again, this demonstrates an aspect of fashion design that becomes virtually irrelevant in digital spaces. The concept of “comfort” for digital bodies evokes considerations about the conditions of the digital body and whether or not we can attribute any sort of conditions to them. 

Bio-segmentation and Inclusive Design

Fashion is moving away from binary gender-based designs towards a more inclusive approach based on bio-segmentation. This method considers body somatotypes (ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph) and biotypes as the foundation for design, rather than traditional gender categories3. This shift allows for more inclusive and diverse fashion offerings that cater to a wider range of body types. Similar to the above design concepts relating to the body, this is another example of where the transition to digital spaces and the possibility for removing the body as a factor altogether could unlock potential for the field of fashion design. 

The Importance of Materiality

Despite technological advancements, the tangible aspect of fashion remains crucial. The physical interaction between fabric and skin, the drape and feel of a garment, and the way it moves with the body are all essential elements of the fashion experience. Researchers are working on creating comprehensive databases that include physical textile samples, 3D human body models, and 3D garment designs to bridge the gap between digital and physical fashion4. While this is an interesting development when it comes to simulating and representing the general behaviour and movement of material in digital space, it still lacks the important quality of tangibility. Digital clothing can never produce the sensation of textiles on the human body and therefore are bound to lack a very important feature in the way that we experience fashion.

The fashion industry is increasingly recognizing the importance of considering the dynamic human body, individual experiences, and diverse body types in design. This holistic approach, combined with technological advancements, is leading to more inclusive, comfortable, and innovative fashion designs while maintaining the crucial tangible aspects of clothing in the field of traditional fashion design. All of these developments suggest a growing awareness of the body as a crucial aspect of fashion design and open the door to discussing how a transition into digital space might handle questions of physicality. 

This post was written with the assistance of Perplexity AI.

1 Hassan, “Thinking of the Moving Body in Motion as the Starting Point for the Fashion Design.”
2 Robinson, “Body Styles: Redirecting Ethics and the Question of Embodied Empathy in Fashion Design.”
3 Neto and Leal, “Genderless Fashion Design: From Binary Fashion to Bio-Segmentation. Body Biotypes and Somatotypes as Main Bases to Inclusive Fashion Design.”
4 Odhiambo et al., “Creation of Databases for a Virtual Training Library in Fashion Design.”

Sources: 

Hassan, Furat Jamal. “Thinking of the Moving Body in Motion as the Starting Point for the

Fashion Design.” Al-Academy, no. 112 (June 15, 2024): 75–86.
https://doi.org10.35560jcofarts1401.

Neto, Maria João Pereira, and Maria Inês Leal. “Genderless Fashion Design: From Binary Fashion to Bio-segmentation. Body Biotypes and Somatotypes as Main Bases to Inclusive Fashion Design.” AHFE International, January 1, 2022. https://doi.org/10.54941/ahfe1001870.

Odhiambo, Sheilla, Alexandra De Raeve, Cosmin Copot, Ion Razvan Radulescu, Andreja Rudolf, Tadeja Penko, Xianyi Zeng, et al. “Creation of Databases for a Virtual Training Library in Fashion Design.” Communications in Development and Assembling of Textile Products 5, no. 2 (August 16, 2024): 140–50. https://doi.org/10.25367/cdatp.2024.5.p140-150. 

Robinson, Todd. “Body Styles: Redirecting Ethics and the Question of Embodied Empathy in Fashion Design.” Fashion Practice 15, no. 1 (February 24, 2022): 113–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/17569370.2022.2026048.

Further Reading: 

Neto, Ana, and João Ferreira. “Lasting Bonds: Understanding Wearer-Clothing Relationships Through Interpersonal Love-Theory.” Fashion Theory 27, no. 5 (January 26, 2023): 677–707. https://doi.org/ 10.1080/1362704x.2023.2170706. 

Ruggerone, Lucia. “The Feeling of Being Dressed: Affect Studies and the Clothed Body.” Fashion Theory 21, no. 5 (November 21, 2016): 573–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/1362704x.2016.1253302. 

by helene.goedl -

23 | Digital Fashion – Exploring Research Questions

In the last blogpost, I discussed how I narrowed down my research topic by excluding certain aspects of the digital fashion design topic. In this post, I will elaborate on the aspects that I do want to focus on, why they are of interest and how their exploration can be formulated into concrete research questions. 

The main focus of my thesis will be the digital fashion design process. I decided to focus on this aspect because it will allow me to integrate the practical part of my thesis with the theory part and  enable me to incorporate my own experiences from the digital design process. This will also create a possibility to explore the traditional fashion design process as a comparison point for the digital design process. Through this inclusion, I will have the opportunity to feature point of views from traditional fashion designers in the literature and interview section of my research, which will help in broadening the pool of possible experts that I can contact.1 

To recap the factors of interest I defined in my last blogpost, the main focus of my exploration of the digital fashion design process are working without materiality, working without a physical body and working without physical space as an influence factor. 

I further defined the tension between physical and digital and the implications of these new design conditions as areas of interest in my work. The practical part of my thesis will be designing a micro collection of digital fashion items and finding presentation strategies for the digital clothing items.2 My plan is to incorporate the findings from the practical work into my theory part. 

With the above considerations in mind, I proceeded to formulate some possible concrete research questions. Below, I am giving a short elaboration on what using the respective questions could result in within my thesis. 

Possible Research Questions:

“How do designers conceptualize the role and purpose of fashion in digital spaces, and how does this differ from the role of fashion in physical spaces?”
This research question would allow me to explore the purpose of fashion (self-expression, status, etc.) in the digital realm, as well as how designers are navigating this space. The resulting thesis could study how digital fashion challenges or expands the traditional purposes of clothing.

“What design methodologies are employed by fashion designers when creating virtual clothing, and how do these methods differ from traditional fashion design practices?”
Through this question, I would focus on the design process itself. It could explore how designers transition from physical garment creation to 3D garment creation and how this shift affects their design philosophy and methodology.

“How do fashion designers perceive the relationship between physical and digital fashion, and to what extent are they integrated into a holistic design approach?”
With this question at the heart of my thesis, I could explore how designers view the two realms—do they consider digital fashion as a distinct category, or is it something they aim to merge with traditional fashion? How do they address the challenges of bridging these worlds?

“What are the cultural and ethical considerations that designers must navigate when creating digital fashion, particularly in relation to identity, body representation, and inclusivity?”
While I did not formulate the sociological aspect as the main focus of my research, this question could enable me to touch on the cultural and ethical implications of digital fashion. For example, how do designers ensure that virtual clothing does not perpetuate harmful stereotypes or exclude certain body types or identities?

“How does the rise of digital fashion impact the role of the designer in the future of the fashion industry, and what implications does this have for the academic study of fashion design?”
This research question would open the door to understanding how digital fashion is reshaping the designer’s role and could have interesting implications for academia and future curriculum development in fashion design education.

„How do fashion designers approach the integration of digital and physical fashion, and what does the concept of ‚fashion‘ mean in digital spaces, where traditional functions of clothing—such as materiality and bodily adornment—are absent?“
This question brings together the key elements I am interested in: Designers‘ perspectives on digital vs. physical fashion, the concept of fashion in a virtual context, the philosophical exploration of clothing in spaces where physical presence is not required. 

    With these possible research questions formulated, I can now revisit my literature, expand my literature research keywords and refine my methodology further. 

    1 Clarke and Harris, Digital Visions for Fashion and Textiles: Made In Code.
    2 Neuburger “Signature Pieces by Signature Moves : Potentials of Motion Tracking in Digital  
      Fashion – Infusing Aestethics and Shapes with Apporaches from Club Dance Cultures.”

    Sources: 

    Clarke, Sarah E. Braddock, and Jane Harris. Digital Visions for Fashion + Textiles : Made in Code. 1. publ., 2012.

    Neuburger, Magdalena. Signature Pieces by Signature Moves : Potentials of Motion Tracking in Digital Fashion – Infusing Aestethics and Shapes with Apporaches from Club Dance Cultures, 2021.

    by helene.goedl -

    22 | Digital Fashion – Narrowing down the Research Topic

    In the process of working towards the final master thesis, an important step is the continuing refinement of the concrete research topic and research question. In this process, the challenge is to comprehend what it really is that makes the topic of digital fashion design so interesting for me. 

    In this blogpost, I will briefly explain the origin of my interest in the topic, outline the scope of the research topic that will be covered in the masters thesis and define some areas that will be excluded in my exploration of digital fashion within my thesis.

    The origin of my interest in the topic of digital fashion stems from my original background. My venturing into the field of design started at the age of 14 when I began studying in fashion school. I had always been interested in clothes and especially, I had always had a fascination with materials, how they behave in certain circumstances, how they can be strategically used, made and manipulated. I was also very intrigued by how fashion design incorporates the human body as a core element of the design process1. Now, many years later and having ventured away from my original design discipline through photography to moving image media design, I rediscovered my interest in these core topics of materiality and physicality. When it came to choosing a topic for my masters thesis, I actively looked for a topic through which I could merge the media design field with my interest in fashion design. Quite soon, I came across the topic of digital fashion. Since defining it as my master thesis field of research, I have been faced with the challenge of determining a more focused research topic and question that would encompass my interest in materiality and physicality, as well as reflecting relevant issues in the current discourse surrounding digital fashion design. 

    When narrowing down the scope of a topic, it can often be helpful to exclude certain aspects to gain more clarity. With this aim in mind, I went through my sources and determined some aspects of the current discourse on digital fashion that will not be the main focus of my thesis. 

    Firstly, I decided to broadly exclude all aspects of the topic revolving around video games, which is an aspect that has continued to be prominent in the discussion of digital fashion use cases.2,3 My decision to exclude it is mainly rooted in the fact that I am not familiar at all with games culture and I don’t find it a sufficiently rich source of discussion for my approach to the topic. Although digital fashion in video games may still come up in some side notes, it will not be the main focus of my thesis.

    In relation to this, I also made the decision to not focus prominently on the discussion around NFTs and the marketability aspect of digital fashion as an end product in general. My thesis is not concerned with exploring how digital fashion as an end product can be sold to consumers and what role it can have in the fashion market. Naturally, this aspect might also be mentioned in passing, but it will not be the focus of my work.

    One topic I did not want to entirely exclude in my research was the question of sustainability. Digital fashion is sometimes touted as a solution that can aid in reducing the demand for fast fashion, especially in relation to fashion influencers and use cases of fashion that are limited to the digital sphere. While this aspect is still of interest to me, I have decided against making it the main focus of my thesis.

    What has become clear to me through excluding these aspects is that my interest in the digital fashion topic are revolving more around the design process rather than being concerned with an end product. For a while in exploring potential focus points in the discussion, I considered exploring the aspect of digital end products and their use cases, but found that this is not the aspect that really sparked my interest in this topic in the first place and was not encouraging me to continue my exploration.

    I decided that my exploration of digital fashion had to revolve more around the applied design process, especially with the consideration of the implications of working without materiality, without a physical body and without physical space in mind. I found that exploring this tension between physical and digital and the implications of these new design conditions are what make digital fashion such an interesting research area for me. In the next blogpost, I will discuss more thoughts on these aspects and elaborate on more possibilities of narrowing the research scope.

    1 McClendon, “The Body: Fashion and Physique—A Curatorial Discussion.”
    2 Reay and Wanick, “Skins in the Game: Fashion Branding and Commercial Video Games.”
    3 Reza et al., “Skins for Sale: Linking Player Identity, Representation, and Purchasing Practices.”

    Sources:

    McClendon, Emma. “The Body: Fashion and Physique—A Curatorial Discussion.” Fashion Theory 23, no. 2 (February 26, 2019): 147–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/1362704x.2019.1567057.

    Reay, Emma, and Vanissa Wanick. “Skins in the Game: Fashion Branding and Commercial Video Games.” In Reinven3ng Fashion Retailing. Digitalising, Gamifying, Entrepreneuring, 73–90, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11185-3_5. 

    Reza, Alia, Sabrina Chu, Zuaira Khan, Adanna Nedd, Amy Cas3llo, and Daniel Gardner. “Skins for Sale: Linking Player Iden3ty, Representa3on, and Purchasing Prac3ces.” In Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 124–31, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15742-5_11. 

    by helene.goedl -

    IMPULSE #8 | Two YouTube Videos – Critical Voices on Digital Fashion 

    Critical voices on the topic of “Digital Fashion” are numerous online. I recently watched two YouTube videos of creators voicing their skepticism on certain aspects of digital fashion.

    YouTuber “Izzzyzz” offers a critical examination of the digital fashion industry, particularly focusing on the company DressX. Through a blend of humor, skepticism, and detailed analysis, she dissects the lofty promises of this burgeoning field, shedding light on its technological flaws, cultural implications, and environmental contradictions.

    In recent years, the tech world has made bold forays into the fashion industry, promising a future where digital clothing would redefine how we dress, consume, and express ourselves. One company at the forefront of this movement, DressX, claims to revolutionize fashion through augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and artificial intelligence (AI). However, as explored by Izzzyzz, this vision may be more fanciful than feasible, marred by technological shortcomings, questionable environmental benefits, and cultural insensitivity.

    Founded in 2020 by Ukrainian entrepreneurs Natalia Modenova and Daria Shapovalova, DressX markets itself as a digital fashion retailer, offering garments designed to be worn virtually—whether in metaverse environments like Roblox and Snapchat or through photos and videos using their Meta Closet app. This app allows users to map 3D-rendered clothing onto their images, ostensibly blending sustainability goals with tech innovation. On paper, the initiative sounds groundbreaking, yet in practice, its execution raises serious concerns.

    One of DressX’s primary pitches is sustainability. By replacing physical garments with digital ones, the company aims to address overconsumption and waste in the fashion industry. Influencers, notorious for purchasing fast fashion in bulk to maintain fresh content, are a key target audience. However, the practical limitations of digital fashion—such as poorly rendered designs and awkward interactions with physical bodies—render it a hard sell. Furthermore, the company’s involvement in NFTs contradicts its sustainability ethos, as blockchain technologies are widely criticized for their substantial environmental impact.

    Technological flaws also plague DressX’s offerings. The app’s functionality is often compared to basic Snapchat filters, with clothing options frequently clipping, shifting awkwardly, or looking amateurish. These failings are especially jarring considering the high cost of these virtual garments, which range from tens to hundreds of dollars. Even their flagship marketing content, aimed at showcasing the technology’s capabilities, features glaring imperfections that undermine their promise of a high-tech revolution.

    Beyond technical inefficiencies, DressX’s broader implications raise cultural and ethical concerns. The app’s clothing frequently appears to favor slim, conventionally attractive bodies, reinforcing harmful beauty standards. Moreover, some of its marketing materials evoke problematic themes, such as the ability to change race or body type through virtual avatars, which risk trivializing significant social and cultural identities.

    Despite these challenges, DressX has garnered attention from major brands and media outlets. Publications like Vogue and The New York Times have praised the company’s vision, while luxury labels like Fendi and Diesel have partnered with them to create digital garments. This acclaim has translated into financial success, with the company securing $15 million in funding in 2023. Yet, outside of the tech and fashion elite, consumer reception remains tepid at best. Online forums and social media comments often ridicule the product for its aesthetic shortcomings and inflated promises.

    Izzzyzz’s critique highlights a recurring pattern in the tech industry: the promise of innovation often outpaces its practical application. Digital fashion might someday redefine how we engage with clothing, but DressX’s current iteration seems more like a tech gimmick than a revolutionary solution. While the concept of virtual clothing opens intriguing possibilities for creativity and sustainability, its realization requires far greater refinement and cultural sensitivity to truly resonate with the broader public.

    Digital fashion remains a nascent field filled with potential and pitfalls. Companies like DressX are navigating uncharted waters, but the road to meaningful impact will require a commitment to addressing technological, environmental, and ethical shortcomings. Until then, the dream of replacing physical wardrobes with digital ones seems more like a speculative fantasy than a viable reality.

    Another creator, fashion journalist Bliss Foster highlights in his somewhat critical video “The Problem with Digital Fashion” that he does not have a problem with digital fashion per se, but rather with how it is treated and talked about, as a part of a trend cycle and a technical fad. He acknowledges the value of digital fashion design itself, but also makes the argument that it should rather be treated as a separate discipline altogether. He exemplifies this by discussing a physical shirt that he owns and how all the material qualities and aspects of it are such integral parts of the design that it is impossible to reduce them away from fashion design. 

    Sources

    Bliss Foster. “The Problem With Digital Fashion,” April 4, 2022. Accessed January 5, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=who1-kptZzo.

    Izzzyzzz. “‘Digital Clothing’ Is the Newest Tech Scam,” November 15, 2024. Accessed January 5, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWKrK91fk2U.

    by helene.goedl -

    IMPULSE #6 | Film: “Padmavaat” 

    Recently, I watched the Indian movie „Padmavaat“. The film, which released in 2018 stirred up multiple controversies among some communities of the Indian public. Directed by acclaimed Indian director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, „Padmavaat“ is set in medieval Rajasthan. It revolves around the story of Queen Padmavati, who marries a noble king and lives a prosperous live. Soon, an ambitious Sultan hears of Padmavati’s beauty and forms an obsessive love for the Queen, sparking a plan to steal her away for himself.1 

    Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who is known for his elaborate period dramas, had faced multiple instances of backlash from the Rajput community since the production of the film started. The controversy hinged mostly on grievances about the portrayal of Rani Padmavati, which were seen as insulting and misrepresenting. Protests even turned violent, with protesters vandalising sets and even attacking the director himself. After a rescheduling, the movie was finally released on 25 January 2018. 

    One of the details of the movie which spurred backlash was the performance and costuming featured in the song. “Ghoomar”. Diegetic songs and choreographed dance numbers are a prominent aspect of Indian films and are featured in a large majority of films of all genres. On Twitter, critics argued that the song misrepresented the Rajput queen Padmavati, leading to claims of disrespect. Protests erupted in November 2017, with some asserting that Rajput queens never danced publicly. Women from the Rajput community joined the protests, voicing concerns that the depiction of the queen in revealing attire was inappropriate. They stated that a Rajput queen would neither perform before an audience nor expose her midriff.

    The controversy also drew the attention of the Central Board of Film Certification. On 30 December 2017, the board requested edits to scenes showing Padukone’s midriff to present a more modest portrayal of Queen Padmavati. Instead of reshooting, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali used computer-generated imagery to implement the changes. A revised version of „Ghoomar“ was released on 20 January 2018, featuring Padukone’s midriff digitally covered.2 

    The achievement of this digital clothing insertion is quite remarkable, since the dance number features complicated movements that not only pose an immense challenge for rendering a realistic movement and lighting of the fabric but are further complicated by the tracking the body of the actress Deepika Padukone. The original shot was not captured with tracking in mind, which must have made it extremely challenging for the CGI artists. Unfortunately, I was not able to find details on the process of how the digital clothes where inserted. It would have been a fascinating case study.

    Why is this Topic Relevant for my Thesis?

    The insertion of digital clothing to meet standards of modesty in different film industries around the world is quite a common practice. A different and more recent example apart from “Padmavaat” is the 2023 Hollywood film “Oppenheimer”, in which a nude scene featuring actress Florence Pugh was altered for some distribution markets by inserting a digital black dress.3

    This censorship through digital clothes is one application of “digital fashion” that presents a very concrete real world use case. The implications of using these digital clothing insertions are worth discussing as a separate topic. Several aspects can be discussed, such as the validity of these modesty standards in the first place (which of course is a much larger and much more intricate topic). Alterations that are performed to the original vision of the costume designer by inserting these digital garments for censorship reasons are also an interesting discussion to have. I have not been able to find sources discussing whether the digital clothing designs were discussed with the costume designers of the respective movies. But the issue of whether or not they align with the original vision of the costume designer is questionable to say the least.

    Images

    Screenshot from the original music video version of the song „Ghoomar“ before digital clothing insertion.
    Screenshot from the song „Ghoomar“ after digital clothing insertion. A piece of embroidered cloth was inserted on the midriff.

    1 “Padmaavat (2018).”

    2 “Padmaavat Before and After: Look How They Secretly Covered up Deepika Padukone’s Midriff in Ghoomar.”

    3 Rubin, “Florence Pugh’s Nude Scene in ‘Oppenheimer’ Covered Up by CGI Black Dress in India and Middle East.”

    Sources

    IMDb. “Padmaavat (2018)” January 25, 2018. Accessed January 5, 2025. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5935704/.

    Hindustan Times. “Padmaavat Before and After: Look How They Secretly Covered up Deepika Padukone’s Midriff in Ghoomar,” January 20, 2018. https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/ghoomar-before-and-after-look-how-they-secretly-covered-up-deepika-padukone-s-midriff-in-padmaavat-song/story-6wceiAO2DAu3u0GgmJhdAM.html.

    Rubin, Rebecca. “Florence Pugh’s Nude Scene in ‘Oppenheimer’ Covered Up by CGI Black Dress in India and Middle East.” Variety, July 24, 2023. https://variety.com/2023/film/news/oppenheimer-florence-pugh-nudity-india-cgi-black-dress-1235678665/.

    by helene.goedl -

    IMPULSE #1 | Film: “Notebook on Cities and Clothes”

    About the Film

    In his 1989 film “Notebook on Cities and Clothes”, Wim Wenders documents Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto’s journey through developing a collection for a fashion show in Paris. Although Wenders previously expressed a disinterest in fashion, he accepted the commission to create a film on Yamamoto when he was approached by the Centre Pompidou in Paris for the production.
    In the film, Wenders intercuts interviews with Yamamoto with documentary scenes shot in his atelier while he develops a collection with his team. In the process, Wenders finds appreciation and understanding for the process of fashion design by finding parallels to his own creative practice. Wenders labels this project as a “diary film”, shooting primarily without a team and filming most of the material himself.1 

    About his approach to fashion before making the project, Wenders says in his voiceover in the film: “The world of fashion… I am interested in the world, not in fashion. But maybe my judgement was premature. Why shouldn’t I try to approach the topic without prejudices. Why not look at fashion like any other industry, the film industry for example?”

    “Filmmaking…should sometimes just be a way of life. Like going for a walk, reading a newspaper, writing something down, driving a car, or making this film. From day to day it writes itself, driven by the curiosity for the topic.2

    About Yohji Yamamoto

    Yohji Yamamoto was born on the 3rd of October 1943. He is among the most notable modern Japanese fashion designers. Yamamoto is based in Tokyo and Paris. Noted as a masterful tailor, his brand identity is marked by his avant-garde tailoring which also incorporates Japanese design aesthetics.3

    Why is this Film an Impulse for my Thesis?

    In the course of my research, it is becoming more and more clear that my thesis will deal at least in part with an exploration of the material component of fashion and clothing, the role materiality plays in our relationship to clothing and the challenges this poses for extending the fashion design discipline into the digital world. 

    In the film, director Wim Wenders mentions his starting point for his exploration into the world of fashion design – a jacked he owned that gave him a special feeling when he wore it. The piece was by Yohji Yamamoto.2 This is an example for the importance of materiality in fashion design, especially in how the wearer builds a relationship to garments. 

    Wenders and Yamamoto connect over the famous August Sander photo documentary work “People of the 20th Century” in which Sander “documented” everyday people in their environments through portraits (The word “documented” is in quotations because we know today that some of the images were staged by Sander and are not truthful to the real circumstances of the portrayed people). While Wenders admires it as an iconic work of photography, Yamamoto is fascinated by the clothes and demeanour of the portrayed people. Yamamoto appreciates how clothes back in that time reflected and communicated a lot more about a persons circumstances in life.2
    This can be seen as positive or negative. Clothing as a tool of social stigmatisation is also a common occurrence throughout history. 


    Personal Key Moments from the Film: 

    • Digital craftsmanship – Wim Wenders interjects the elaborations of Yamamoto on Sander’s work by questioning the value of digital craftsmanship in comparison to classical craftsmanship. Especially connected to the people depicted in Sander’s portraits. Wenders essentially questions whether digital processes will ever be able to compare to the value of physical craftsmanship.
    From: Notebook on Cities and Clothes (1989).
    • Craftsmen’s morals – “[…] in short, to find the essence of a thing through the process of fabricating it”.2 – Another instance of an argument in favour of the importance of physical process. 
    From: Notebook on Cities and Clothes (1989).
    • Designing time – Yamamoto postulates that if he could design anything, it would be time. He says some materials are alive, they age and the true finished garment is a product of time.2 Here, we see another component of the analog fashion’s life cycle that cannot be translated into digital space. Or does digital fashion have the ability to age? What would digital aging look like? Will digital fashion age through outdated formats, low resolution, outdated shading and 3D modelling conventions?
    From: Notebook on Cities and Clothes (1989).
    • Importance of collaboration – fashion as a collaborative art form is brought up in the final scenes of the film. Yamamoto and his team come together to review the collection shown at Paris fashion week and celebrate. Wenders acknowledges the importance of each of their contributions – does this collaboration get lost in the digital fashion design process?

    1“Notebook on Cities and Clothes | Wim Wenders Stiftung.”
    2 Notebook on Cities and Clothes.
    3 Wikipedia contributors, “Yohji Yamamoto.”

    Bibliography:

    “Notebook on Cities and Clothes | Wim Wenders Stiftung,” n.d., https://wimwendersstiftung.de/en/film/notebook-on-cities-and-clothes/.

    Notebook on Cities and Clothes. 35mm Color, 1989. https://www.primevideo.com/detail/amzn1.dv.gti.52af787f-a727-4c08-92cd-19e1ac0a8357.

    Wikipedia contributors. “Yohji Yamamoto.” Wikipedia, November 5, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yohji_Yamamoto.

    by helene.goedl -

    21 | Proseminar Master Thesis | Task III – Evaluation of a Master Thesis

    For this evaluation task, I have selected the master thesis “Digital fashion for sustainable change a strategy for digital fashion at Tommy Hilfiger” by Charlotte Joliijn Hoekstra. The thesis was submitted in March 2021 at Delft University of Technology for the completion of the masters degree in Strategic Product Design. The evaluation considers the following criteria:

    1. Level of Design The thesis is well designed and comprehensive owing to its employment of color coded layout and clearly structured chapter marking. The reading flow is easy and the overall appearance of the thesis is appealing. Graphics and statistics are also designed in a uniform way, which contributes to the cohesive appearance of the work.
    2. Degree of Innovation
      The topic of the thesis is quite innovative and new, especially for the time of publication. There research topic of digital fashion is not yet extensively researched in academic context at time of writing. Additionally, the concrete and precisely narrowed down scope of the thesis makes it a useful case study and an important reference basis for further research in this area of study.
    3. Independence
      The thesis demonstrates a high degree of independence and effort on the part of the researcher. The outcomes are tangible and underline the amount of independent research that was conducted for the paper.
    4. Outline and Structure
      The structure is extremely reader friendly and clear. The researcher provides a table of contents that includes an executive summary as well as a reading guide in the beginning of the text. The thesis is then divided into five main areas, titled “Discover”, “Why”, “How”, “What” and “Conclude” which each of the sections being color coded and further divided into subchapters. This is extremely helpful for readers in guiding their reading experience of the paper.
    5. Degree of Communication
      The degree of communication high, the manner of communication is effective and the research topic, though extensive, is well communicated. The author manages to relate the basis of the topic and the background information needed to understand the most important aspects of the research in a clear and understandable manner, enabling even readers who are unfamiliar with the research area to understand the thesis. 
    6. Scope of the Work
      The scope of this work appears to be quite extensive and becomes evident primarily in the discussion of the research objectives, the scope of the deliverables and the research methodology. The researcher employs various methodological tools, such as the Vision in Product design method on the design side and scientific research methods current state of the art evaluations and focus group research. The paper consists of 85 pages including the bibliography and title page, and I would evaluate this as a quite extensive scope for a paper at this level.
    7. Orthography and Accuracy
      Orthography and accuracy are on an appropriate level. No obvious mistakes in orthography, grammar or mistakes of any kind in the writing could be detected while reading the thesis. 
    8. Literature
      The author cites 44 sources, which I would classify as a number on the lower end of the scale especially in relation to the extensiveness of the work. However, the novelty of the topic and the limitations in existing research justify this quite low number of referenced works. The cited references are varied and diverse and draw from different categories of sources. Overall, the literature is satisfactory but could be slightly more extensive. 

    Overall Evaluation
    Overall, this thesis is very well written, has a clear and appealing layout, an excellent reading flow and demonstrates a high degree of innovation. The slightly low number of literature sources is compensated well by the extent of independent research conducted by the author. In the Austrian grading system, I would grade this thesis as a 1 (very good).

    Source:
    Hoekstra, Charlotte. „Digital fashion for sustainable change: A strategy for digital fashion at Tommy Hilfiger.“ (2021).

    by helene.goedl -

    20 | Designing A Digital Fashion Garment – The Final Project

    For my final project, I decided to draft a pattern for pants in CLO3D. I am following a tutorial for the basic shape and will modify the garment according to my design preferences.

    Preparing the Avatar

    To begin the process, I decided to modify one of the default avatars from the CLO library to my own measurements. This was relatively easy and it’s a quick method to get a fairly accurate representation of your body in the digital space. However, the problem with this method is that body proportions vary greatly from person to person and the distribution of certain measurements creates a very different base shape of the body. Even though CLO allows you to input a lot of specific measurements, such as knee, leg and calf circumference, it does still calculate the spaces between the input custom measurements automatically, resulting in certain idiosyncratic body shapes to be lost in the process. For example, the difference between my high and low hip measurement is quite substantial and creates a dip at the hip area but there is no way (that I could find) to represent the shape between those two measurements inside the avatar editor. So to get a very accurate representation of your own body, you would have to make a custom model from scratch and load it into the program. For this project, I decided to go with the approximately correct model achieved by modifying the default avatar.

    Drafting the Pattern

    After the Avatar was prepared, I started developing the pants pattern according to this tutorial. 

    First, I had to calculate some measurements as listed below.

    Pants measurements

    Avatar:
    Hip: 97 cm  (31.2in)
    Half hip: 48,5 cm (19in)
    Waist: 65 cm (25.6in)
    Outseam: 95cm (37.4in)
    Inseam: 75cm (29.5in)
    Knees: 18in
    Ankles: 13.75in

    Measurement Percentages (of half hip in inches):
    21% 3.99in
    55% 10.45in
    47% 8.93in
    10% 1.9in
    20% 3.8in

    Math:
    Front Waist: 25.6 / 4 + .375 = 6.775
    Back Waist: 25.6 / 4 – .375 = 6.025
    Front Knee: 18 / 2 +.75 = 9.75
    Front Ankle: 13.75 / 2 – .375 = 6.5
    Back Ankle: 13.75 / 2 + .375 = 7.25 

    The pattern drafting process was very similar to the analog process on paper and gave me lots of flashbacks to pattern drafting class. Especially when following an instruction with different measurements, there can be some confusing moments in the process and my lack of practice over the last years definitely showed while I was developing the pattern. 

    Following the tutorial was a very helpful way of getting familiar with all the tools in the 2D Pattern drafting window. Some of them I found to be less intuitive than I originally thought while going though them in the overview tutorial series. For example, the curving tools don’t respond in the way that I would expect and the way I know these types of tools from other programs, so they were challenging to use in the drafting process. 

    At the end, I did manage to construct the pattern and I could move on to arranging the pieces on the avatar and sew and simulate the garment.

    Fit Issues, Modifications and Fabric Choices 

    I tried to correct this issue by re-measuring the inseam of my avatar, going back to the pattern in the 2D window and comparing the measurement to the inseam on the pattern. By gradually editing the curvature and approximating it to the inseam measurements, I managed to somewhat resolve the issue, although the result was still not perfect. 

    After sewing, I noticed some significant bunching  issues around the crotch area, a typical issue in pant patterns.

    After I was mostly happy with the base pattern, I started modifying it by changing the leg shape, adding a waistband and a zipper. I also experimented with the fabric options from the CLO library and settled on a black woven cotton fabric for the final pant model. 

    Sewing Issues and Draping

    After I made my modifications, I simulated the sewing again and ran into some issues, especially resulting from new pattern pieces on the waistband and zipper fly that where supposed to be sewn over top of each other. As you can see in the screen capture below, the program was confused as to how to arrange the overlapping seam lines and unfortunately, I was not yet able to find a solution for this issue. Another problem I had was with the developing of the waistband, which was not included in the pattern pieces from my original pattern so I had to develop it myself and as mentioned before, my lack of practice showed once again. The waistband could be improved, especially in the curvature on the side seams.

    After the sewing, I draped the garment on the avatar, which was fun but also confusing sometimes, because the mesh of the avatar sometimes interacts strangely with the mesh of the garment model.

    When I was happy with the draping, I took the garment model into the final processing step in CLO.

    Animation, Render and Import into Blender

    As a final step in CLO I took the model into the animation workspace. This workspace is quite easy to use and intuitive for anyone who has used a similar 3D program before.

    I chose a preset walk cycle from the CLO library, which worked very well and smooth. For the final render, I went with the invisible avatar render. I exported the model, including the walk cycle animation as an alembic (.abc) file. I then loaded the model into Blender, where I had some issues with the fabric of the model not translating well from CLO. Because I wasn’t able to find the cause of the issue, I decided to use a similar cotton fabric material from Blenderkit for the pants model. Finally, I created a little scene, animated some camera movement and rendered the model with Cycles.

    Final Product

    Final Thoughts

    I really enjoyed the process of getting familiar with CLO3D. During the initial phase of learning the basic functions of the program, I had the impression that it would be quite easy to work out the final project. However, while working on my final piece, I realized which functions of the program are still not as clear to me as I thought and which features I need more practice with. Additionally, I learned that there are other methods of developing pattern in CLO, as I have seen some tutorials where users cut out and drape on the 3D model in a more free-form approach. This is something I would like to try out in future projects, because I realized while developing the pattern in the „traditional“ way, that my knowledge on pattern development is quite rusty and I need to either brush up on it or find other methods for reaching a good end product. Another aspect I would like to work more on in the future is the fabric export and modification options because I had some issues with this in my final project.

    Overall, I will definitely keep learning more about CLO and hopefully get better and figure out solutions to probelms I was not able to fix this time around.