Items where Year is 2026

As the fashion industry increasingly integrates 3D garment design software such as CLO3D, highly accurate digital avatars that replicate in house fit models has become essential. Standardised avatars are widely available but often fail to accurately align with a brand’s legacy sizing systems, which are typically based on specific fit models and bespoke measurements. British performance wear brand ThruDark’s dedicated consumer base is accustomed to a consistent garment fit, therefore, transitioning to digital sampling with software stock avatars would risk significant inconsistency in sizing and customer experience. Maintaining continuity with the existing fit model is critical, prompting the need for an accurate, efficient avatar creation process that supports ongoing production without disruption. For brands to fully leverage digital workflows and reduce reliance on physical sampling, accurate brand specific avatars are crucial.
This research - conducted in partnership with ThruDark - explores the creation and implementation of bespoke digital avatars. A comparison study includes manual anthropometric and 3D body scanning technologies which are evaluated for the creation of bespoke fit model avatars. A new avatar creation process pilot study allows critical insights into functionality and scalability. Based on this research a commercially viable workflow for generating digital avatars from brand-specific fit model data has been implemented at ThruDark.

Body modification undergarments - that alter, accentuate and create desirable silhouettes by applying force to the body or through structured wearable enhancements - have been used to throughout history.
In costume, historical body modification garments are important symbols for portraying wealth, position and historical context.
Garments that modify the body present a challenge for digital historical pattern creation as digital avatars are commonly solid 3D objects which are unable to ‘realistically respond to external forces’ e.g. 3D constructed/simulated garments. This study investigates harnessing body scanning and digital processes to create silhouetted avatars, to permit the digital production of historically accurate patterns that are accurate of an actor’s biometric data.
The research takes an empirical approach to test four experimental digital workflow methods and develops a specific process for body modification avatars. The processes are then applied and assessed through production of a digital 16th century historical costume garment. The results offer metric and observational insights into workflow consistency, dimension accuracy, and mesh usability.
The generation of ‘silhouetted period avatars’ using 3D body scans and historical body modification garments supports the digital creation of costumes with increased efficiency and historical accuracy.