Sub Thread Weekly is your best source for a quick debrief across the latest news, actions, events and happenings in Web3 Fashion Media and Marketing. It’s curated and published by Global Designer Network DAO member Alma. Weave your way through the threads below to get all caught up on the culture.
This week I am featuring a talented digital designer Ashwini Deshpande, head of 3D Design and Production at Republiqe. You can follow her on Twitter @aforashwini_ and on Instagram @aforashwini.
What was your journey as a designer in the digital fashion space?
I started off studying fashion design in the traditional, physical sense at London College of Fashion. Slowly, I became interested in technology as a tool to help build a more circular, sustainable fashion industry. I began working with the Fashion Innovation Agency on certain projects and took a course in AI. I joined the Digital Maker Collective at University of the Arts London, I started to explore and learn to use different types of software on my own. All this eventually led me to discover digital fashion.
To someone who loves pattern cutting, technology and sustainable design, digital fashion felt like the perfect way to take my practice forward. I taught myself CLO3D through online videos and eventually made a fully digital fashion collection for my final university project. This ended up leading to me having a career in digital fashion!
What are your favourite things about the digital fashion space but also what do you feel are the biggest challenges?
My favourite thing about the digital fashion space is that because it’s such a new industry, everyone is very open to sharing their knowledge and views. There is also constant innovation and it’s exciting to see the ways in which people push boundaries every single day.
The biggest challenge is that there is no set curriculum at university to teach digital fashion yet and everyone in the industry forged their own unique path. So it’s sometimes difficult to see where you’re headed because there’s no linear path in such a new field.
Do you prefer designing digital fashion over physical fashion?
Yes, I definitely prefer designing digital fashion over physical fashion. It allows for greater experimentation without using many resources and creating waste, and without wasting time and energy as well. You can try out several drapes and colour ways with the click of a button. It also has several interesting applications, from being used for fashion sampling to being a vital part of the metaverse.
What do you think the fashion education is currently lacking?
It is lacking more fashion technology and innovation courses. Digital fashion is the direction the industry is headed in, but unfortunately there isn’t enough talent in the space because university curriculum is lagging behind in most of the world. Most designers are self taught.
Where do you see your work going in the future?
It feels like digital fashion in the metaverse today perhaps revolves very much around gaming. Personally, I’m not a gamer - as a customer I’m a regular fashion enthusiast. Therefore, with my work I want to push digital fashion in a direction that is relevant and aspirational to the non-techie shopper. I am also particularly excited about the potential digital fashion holds in branding and brand experiences.
This concludes yet another interesting Sub Thread Weekly exploration. Join the journey again next week and feel free to connect with me on Twitter @alma_almaks or explore my realm @pro_progression
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