This project showcases an innovative Augmented Reality (AR) application designed for the FIT Museum to revolutionize the learning experience of fashion students. The app allows users to interact interactively with garment exhibits, offering a detailed exploration of garment construction through AR technology. Users can delve into various layers of clothing, learning about materials, sewing techniques, and historical contexts. The application enhances the visual experience and provides educational resources, making it a comprehensive tool for immersive learning in fashion design.
1. Overview
Background
In 2018, while attending Fashion School, I encountered a challenging assignment: to design a dress. This led me to delve into research, during which I discovered a fascinating video on YouTube. It featured the 2014 Charles James exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
What particularly caught my attention was a brief 10-second segment of the video that deconstructed one of James' iconic designs, the Clover Dress. That tiny snippet helped me immensely in understanding pattern-making.
This experience stayed with me, and when I was pursuing my Master's in UX Design, it inspired a project in my final semester. The project's brief required integrating AR technology into a historical or culturally significant landmark or experience in New York City. I chose the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) Museum as my focus. By merging my background in fashion with my passion for UX, I embarked on creating 'FASHION ANATOMY' – an AR experience designed for the FIT Museum. This project aimed to bring a unique, interactive dimension to exploring fashion design and history and enhance the educational process of understanding garment construction, contents, and patterns through innovative AR technology.
Problem Statement
The challenge was to enhance the educational experience of understanding garment construction and patterns at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) Museum by integrating AR technology into exploring fashion design and history.
Project Goals
Enhanced Understanding of Historical Garment Layers: My primary aim is to provide a comprehensive insight into the intricate layers that make up historical garments. The 'FASHION ANATOMY' AR experience will allow users to virtually dissect these layers, offering a detailed view of each component. This feature is particularly beneficial for students and enthusiasts keen to study the evolution of fashion and the complexity of historical garment construction.
Understanding the Importance of Garment Closures: Closures are not just functional elements; they are crucial in defining a piece's style and era. The AR experience aims to highlight the significance of various closure types - buttons, zippers, laces, etc.- used in different historical periods. This understanding will enhance the appreciation of the design process and the evolution of fashion technology.
In-depth Exploration of Pattern Construction: Pattern construction is a critical aspect of fashion design, and this project seeks to demystify this process. Through AR technology, users will see how different patterns come together to form a complete garment. This interactive experience will help them understand the geometry and artistry involved in pattern-making and how they contribute to the final shape and fit of the garment.
Providing Useful Resource Links: To supplement the AR experience, I plan to integrate a feature that provides users direct access to helpful resource links. These links will offer additional information, tutorials, and references, enabling users to delve deeper into fashion design and history. This feature is designed to support educational pursuits and satisfy the curiosity of fashion aficionados.
Main Features
- Explore ensemble layering with AR: This feature allows users to explore the layers of various ensembles using augmented reality interactively. As they scan an empty mannequin, the app overlays detailed, multi-layered images of garments, revealing the underlying structure and design elements. Users can peel back layers to understand the sequence of garment construction, from the inner linings to the outermost details. This immersive exploration visualizes how different pieces combine to create a complete silhouette.
- Useful links to garment, designer or textile processes The app includes direct links to in-depth resources about the garments, designers, and textile processes. These links lead to articles, videos, designer biographies, historical contexts, and detailed explanations of textile manufacturing processes. This feature is designed to extend the learning experience beyond the AR interaction, providing users with a comprehensive understanding of the fashion industry and garment creation.
- Interactive 3D models of clothes: Users can engage with high-fidelity 3D models of clothing items. This feature enables them to rotate, zoom, and dissect these models to examine every aspect of garment design, such as stitching, fabric texture, and intricate detailing. The interactivity provides a hands-on learning experience, making complex design concepts easier to grasp. It's particularly beneficial for visual learners who can better understand the construction techniques through 3D manipulation.
- Ensemble location: This feature enhances the user's museum experience by bridging the virtual and physical worlds. When a user explores an ensemble through the AR interface, the application displays the garment's detailed layers and construction and provides information on the actual physical location of the corresponding authentic ensemble within the museum.
2. Empathize
The prompt for this assignment was that I had to make an AR feature for any location or experience in NYC. I picked the FIT museum. On visiting the museum, I realized that even though many garments were displayed, the layers under them could not be shown, and the construction process took a lot of work took a lot of work. I decided to focus on the historical aspect of garments and their layers so that students understand garment-making history better.
USER INTERVIEWS
I wanted to better understand experiences of other fashion students, I interviewed some of my peers with diverse carer paths to better understand their journey and point of view. I focused on people who have already graduated from fashion school, so that I have different insights from different journeys and perspectives.
STYLE : MODERATED
NUMBER: 5 PEOPLE
DURATION: 20 MINUTES
INTERVIEW TYPE: ZOOM
My questions focused on these main points:
- Historical Influence: "In what ways has understanding the history and evolution of garment making influenced your approach and creativity in fashion design during your time in fashion school?"
- Challenges in Learning Garment Making: "What specific aspects of garment making did you find most challenging to grasp during your education, and how did these challenges impact your learning experience?"
- Early Insights for Designers: "Looking back, what knowledge or skill related to garment making do you wish you had learned earlier in your design education, and how do you think it would have accelerated your growth as a designer?"
- AR in Fashion Education: "How do you think an Augmented Reality (AR) feature that reveals the layers and construction processes of historical garments could have enhanced your learning experience in fashion school?"
- Application of Historical Knowledge: "Can you share an instance where historical knowledge of garment making significantly influenced one of your design projects?"
- Learning Resources: "What resources did you rely on most for learning about the history and construction of garments during your studies, and where did you feel these resources fell short?"
- Interactive Learning: "In your opinion, how important is interactive learning, such as using AR technology, in understanding complex concepts like garment construction and history?"
Key Insights
- Almost all participants had a though time with pattern making and construction.
- “I have spent countless hours in the library just to figure out for i can construct different silhouettes. I wish we had a resource that made it easier”
- Some participants mentioned the lack of knowledge of use to fabrics and materials
- 3/5 participants also acknowledged the importance of different closures in garments and wished they focused on different
My finding threw a giant spanner in the works. I realized that my assumption — that some former fashion students found pattern making very hard and tedious — was right!. But they also mentioned the importance of learning about fabrics and materials in a design school journey.
4. Ideate
BRAINSTORM SESSION
I spent hours brainstorming and developing ideas for integrating solutions for all these problems that fashion students face.
Finally, I came up with a idea of FASHION ANATOMY, a feature for the FIT museum
USER FLOW
Once I had a clear idea of users and their needs, I was able to ideate on a final user flow and accommodate all the features
6. Prototype
I created low-fi wireframes, followed by hi-fi with Figma, so that I can test out my idea
Figma Prototype
Next Phase:
The next phase of this project is to design and build 3D models of garments with an opening animation that gives a detailed idea about the construction and finishing of the garment. The animation will also display the pattern of the garment for students/users to better understand.
8. Reflection
- Outcome
The challenge was to enhance the educational experience of understanding garment construction and patterns at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) Museum, by integrating Augmented Reality into exploring fashion design and history. Even though I have a blueprint for how to make this happen, there is still a long way to go.