‘Metail’ is a company that specialises in the development of virtual fitting rooms, where models are created once the customer inserts their height, weight, waist and hip measurements into the system. Customers can also change the model’s skin colour and choose whether they want the model to keep her hair up or down. Once the model is created, customers can browse the website’s products and select what items they wish to try on in the virtual fitting room.
This demonstrates how technology and fashion are not necessarily two separate notions, but have increasingly been integrated to produce one innovative concept that benefits both industries. Fashion designers have also recognised the potential technology holds and are now more than ever implementing technological elements to their work.
Lately, one of the most talked about trend within the fashion industry has been 3D printing, a system capable of creating three-dimensional solid objects from a digital model. Catherine Wales is a British fashion designer that has used 3D printing to create beautiful intricate pieces as part of last year’s Project DNA accessories collection. The London based designer saw 3D printing primarily as a method to combat complications that arise with garment sizing, however, she recognised how technology is capable of pushing boundaries within the market and the capacity 3D printing has to flourish within the fashion world.