Redefining the fashion portfolio for a 3D world

Innovation in fashion is nothing new – it’s built into the discipline but you don’t always see 3D in fashion, at least not in the way designs are showcased. The integration of technology into the fashion industry is fascinating and on a rapid growth trajectory. It’s especially exciting when one of our talented students finds a new way to display her graduate portfolio.

Here comes Felicity

Grace Moorhead is a name to look out for. Her brand Felicity’s design aesthetic is “one of both pretty femininity and contemporary cool, offering both elevated streetwear and occasion wear for young women”. Focused on sustainability, Felicity is all about small runs and local manufacture, filling a gap in the market where, as Grace explains, “Among apparel brands and retailers only 1% of new products introduced in the first half of 2019 were tagged as sustainable, even after a five-fold increase in the number of such items unveiled in the past two years.”

Collaboration across disciplines

One of the best things about studying at Billy Blue is the ability to access creative geniuses from other streams, inside and outside of the university. In Grace’s case, she worked with people who have complementary skillsets in order to bring her graduate portfolio to life. They included:

• Lena Merrin, who created patterns from Grace’s drawings
• Martina Ponzoni, who led the project from the 3D perspective and did the 3D modelling
• Emily Switzer, who covered texture, lighting, rendering and animation.

Together, they made something truly special.

Presenting the patterns

Brand development and positioning is one of the most important elements of the design journey. The structure of a project like this provides a framework that really makes students think about where their work will sit within the broader industry.

Part of the process is around how you’d start your own business and/or deploy social enterprise skills in your chosen field, but the crux of collection design is the opportunity to design a coordinated group of branded fashion products that are related through design style, fashion choice and manufacturing techniques. This involves researching your chosen market category and target audience, as well as suitable materials and accessories for creating your couture.

One outcome of this project is the creation of a “tech and spec pack” – a portfolio that communicates the technical requirements of the relevant garments sent to manufacturers who create the designs from the included instructions. These tech and spec packs are a core element of the branded fashion design course, allowing students the experience of liaising effectively with a production team. In Grace’s case, she went digital instead, asking the aforementioned 3D designers to do the “manufacturing” for her. The results speak for themselves… but so does Grace.

If you’d like to know more about how our industry team work, and want to explore opportunities to partner with us, please check out our Industry Engagement page or email us at industry@torrens.edu.au.

To explore the possibilities in studying Branded Fashion Design with us, click here.