- Shineli Winkler, CEO of FRI
[Note: this is a guest post by Shenlei Winkler, CEO of the Fashion Research Institute, Inc., 419 Lafayette, NYC, NY 10013 [ph 646-688-4042] [fx 646-688-4043]
- Author, Designing Dreams: Best Practices for the Art & Business of Avatar Apparel Design & Development
- Author, Shengri La Spirit: A Designer’s Perspective of the Making of OpenSim
Fashion Research Institute has been working in virtual worlds for the past few years, exploring them as platforms and tools for use by the $1.7 trillion apparel industry. We have since developed a design application, Black Dress Design Studio, which is currently in closed alpha. Black Dress shows promise of being a disruptive technology for the industry, as well as a game changer for the way product is developed in both apparel and in the much larger soft consumer goods industries.
As we worked in the virtual world space, our understanding of both the potential power and range of the platform, and our understanding of how to educate fashion designers using virtual world platforms grew and changed. We knew that understanding how people learn is as critical to our success in bringing our application to market as making sure the application is ‘right’. With that understanding as a basis, we launched a series of educational programs, which currently include our Shengri La Marketplace program and our student internships.
Both of these programs focus on educating designers and helping them achieve their dreams. There are critical differences: the Marketplace program is intended to help designers of virtual goods, or ‘virtua’, develop their label in these virtual spaces. These designers have varying educational backgrounds and they have a burning desire to create within virtual worlds. Their product is not intended to ever be manufactured in the industrial complex, nor will it be sold through usual apparel industry retail channels. This product is sold to the users of avatars for some of the same reasons we buy real life apparel – we want to customize our appearance in a way that sends a message to people who see us. Obviously in a virtual world we don’t need to be concerned about fit or function, nor on manufacturability, which can be very freeing for the creative spirit. The Marketplace program has a rolling admission deadline.
The internship program, in contrast, is designed to teach fashion student designers how to go through the process of developing a collection from original concept to final runway show. Using virtual worlds as the platform, we take our interns through a fast-paced development sequence where they learn about both the art and business of design and development.
Our internships run about sixteen weeks. In that time the interns are expected to develop marketing concepts for their label, which include logo, showroom, storefront, customer service policies, packaging, and an overall look and feel for their line. They use these concepts to present their actual collection to the virtual goods marketplace in Second Life. The interns are expected to create all components of a collection during their internship – we have them create a mood board, color stories, and materials story, which we keep displayed in their workspace for reference.
The interns are taught to develop product using the in-world content creation tools. We maintain presence on several grids, and we usually have them prototype their designs on one of our OpenSim grids because there is no cost for developing on our grids. When they are ready to develop for the marketplace, they develop their product on the Second life platform, package up their outfits, and place them in vendors. They receive immediate feedback – either their outfits sell, or they don’t!
Our interns are expected to complete one look a week from their original sketches, developed in 3-6 colorways. Our goal is to help the interns produce a visual ‘story’ for their portfolio that shows they understand how the product development cycle works in the real life apparel industry. Using these low risk platforms enables us to take our interns through the process at a nominal cost. They are encouraged to explore the full parameter space of their own creativity.
Our final project with our interns is to help them produce a full virtual runway show with live models presenting their designs to a general audience. These shows are group shows where the interns collaborate to define their theme, name the show and determine the run order for the models. The interns are all individually responsible for styling their models and determining makeup, hair, and accessories to complete the look. They must also select pre-determined poses for their models to strike at the end of the runway.
FRI has a team of dedicated volunteer models who generously offer their time for fittings and the show. They also provide needed moral support and encouragement. The FRI team builds the runway and make sure that all of the models are correctly styled. We also manage the overall show including media and marketing. In addition, we have an audience of supporters who are gracious enough to come to the shows and demonstrate their support of our student designers by blogging about their work, buying their work, and simply being present and giving these new talents a bit of an ego boost.
At the end of the runway show, our interns have a chance to be recognized for all of their hard work by taking a bow on the runway. They depart with valuable experience in the real life development process. We stop short of pulling physical samples but the design cycle is the same and when the time comes for them to enter the work force, they will recognize the design process because they have already been through it. The educational process is fast-paced and demanding, and we set very high standards for them to reach.
Virtual Goods Marketplace Trends
We’re particularly excited to be working with our student interns from Buffalo State university because we think the virtual goods marketplace will burgeon rapidly. In 2007, virtual goods accounted for $2.6 billion in sales. Although the total value of virtual goods pales in comparison to the $1.7 trillion apparel industry, this market compares very favorably with the accessories market which generates about $1.8 billion in sales. Various analyst reports indicate that the virtual goods marketplace is set to double in 2010. Fashion designers are often encouraged to move into handbags and other accessories to add a new revenue stream and enable brand extension. With virtual goods slated to open up further in 2010, designers should definitely consider this new niche market they can readily move into which can help them generate more sales in a completely new area.
Not only is there a business case to be made for providing design for this niche, but designers can also use the low-risk OpenSim platform to explore new design ideas, and to show their work 24/7 on special runways, where models can walk the catwalk at a touch of the button and show off designs as they are meant to be: in 3D and moving.
Virtual/Real Runway 3.0 Project
We are very excited to be working with the talented students designers from Buffalo State University, and we’re very much looking forward to our Spring work with them. Working virtually, we will be helping them develop the exact same looks to present on our virtual runways as they will be showing in real life in their graduating senior runway show, ‘Runway 3.0′. Our work with them will extend even outside of our virtual space. We’ll be taking a day to tour them through the fashion district in New York City, the home of fashion. And finally, we’ll be working with them as technical fashion designers to help them create real world apparel with a decided technical bent: we’re going to help them add motors, lights, and more!
Virtual Intern Applications Being Accepted
We’re accepting new applications for our next internship cycle from Fashion Programs, which begins at the end of January. Admission is highly selective. For more information, please visit www.fashionresearchinstitute.com
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The video above is an example of Introduction to CLO3D to a FashionCAD class that focuses on developing intermediate Adobe skills for the Fashion Industry. Each semester we try to include one big final project that has the potential to incorporate some of the previous skills as well as introduce a 3D working environment to students. The students in this class are not exclusively apparel design students. Some apparel design and product development students are mixed in with fashion merchandising, fashion/textile design technology. No garment pattern skills or background are required for this class.
