Made in Code: Fashion Symposium

Made in Code: Reimagining the Experience of Fashion Symposium

Bringing together practitioners and scholars from across the creative and technological industries, this half-day symposium showcases the potential of digital media in fashion, dress and identity, for performance, film, games, archives and cultural spaces.

Arranged as two panel sessions, this symposium highlights the importance of blending creative and technical skills in order to develop truly innovative fashion experiences. The symposium also presents the process behind the staging of the installation Made in Code: Reimagining the Experience of Fashion on display from 24 - 27 March 2023 in the V&A Learning Centre, and questions how this may inspire future creative and technological collaborations.

Ⓒ V&A Museum

Exploring the Relationship between Fashion and Digital Media.

Among the selected industry thought leaders was Holition’s Co-Founder and Chief Executive, Jonathan Chippindale who gave an insight into the role that emerging technologies play in creating compelling, human-first consumer experiences.

Jonathan also participated in the second panel discussion during the half-day event, along with  Susanne Kuechler - UCL Anthropology, Sarah Ellis - Royal Shakespeare Company, Jade How, - Lockwood Games, Joanna Norman - V&A, Mike King - Numerion Software, Andrew Chitty - UKRI, Innovate UK, and Challenge Director for CoStar, and moderated by Jane Harris, Chair of Digital Design and Innovation, University of the Arts London.

The panel discussion sought to highlight the importance of blending creative and technical skills in order to develop truly innovative fashion experiences and a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the process behind the Made In Code installation.

Made in Code uses advanced technologies such as motion capture, garment simulation, and real-time 3D rendering to allow individuals to explore their emotions and express themselves through fashion against the backdrop of collective experiences.

Within the installation, visitors can interact with fabrics using motion capture and real-time garment simulation to create a personalised virtual garment by British fashion designer, Maria Grachvogel. Each visitor receives a unique code that allows them to send their personalised garment into the exhibition space as part of the collective showpiece.

Made in Code: Reimagining the Experience of Fashion Symposium was organised by the Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology Creative R&D partnership, led by Jane Harris, Chair of Digital Design and Innovation, University of the Arts London, and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council as part of the Creative Industries Cluster Programme. Project partners include: University of the Arts London, Victoria and Albert Museum, University College London, Maria Grachvogel, Numerion Software, Happy Finish, Holition and Move AI.

Ⓒ V&A Museum