e-dress maker

Continuum Ddress UI from Mary Huang on Vimeo.

Call it “computational couture.” “Continuum,” a new app by interactive designer Mary Huang, puts bespoke fashion in the hands of anyone with an Internet connection. Huang envisions a web-based fashion label where designs are infinitely customizable yet retain a cohesive—and identifiable—look and feel. You won’t have to sew a single stitch, either. Simply use the app to “draw” your dress and the software will convert your sketch into a three-dimensional model. Not only can physical dresses be purchased through the label,” Huang says, “but the cutting patterns are downloadable free of charge for those who would rather devote the time to making their own.”


COMPUTATIONAL COUTURE



The future of consumer products, Huang tells Ecouterre, doesn’t just lie in more advanced technologies and materials, but also in the reevaluation of the conventional supply chain. Standardized sizing would also be a thing of the past, since garments can be made to order in your exact measurements. “By blending rapid fabrication, interactive software, and the accessibility of the web,” Huang says, “we can let individuals participate directly in the design and production process.”

Standardized sizing would also be a thing of the past, since garments can be made to order in your exact measurements.



Huang dubs her software “D. dress”—the “D” stands for “Delaunay triangulation,” an algorithm she uses to deconstruct each dress into a series of triangular planes. Any adjustments in necklines, skirt lengths, or sleeve types are achieved by adding or subtracting triangles. “Lo-res triangular models are more abstract,” Huang admits, “but this abstraction prompts people to imagine what the resulting dress would look like rather than expect an exact rendition of the screen image. The triangulation also insures that almost any drawing will produce an interesting form.”

All content from ecouterre.com