Six ESMOD Paris students have designed a collection of digital garments as part
of a collaboration that the school has entered into with Asus.
With a passion and talent for set design, artistic direction, clothing and graphic
design, Théo Saloux is a real all-rounder, so it’s no surprise that the 3 rd -year
student at ESMOD Paris was chosen to participate in the school’s collaboration
with the Asus brand. The aim of the project was to create a collection of digital
meta wear garments as part of the Fenêtres ouvertes (‘Open Windows’) initiative
aimed at promoting the agility of the Vivobook S14. It also provided the perfect
opportunity to reveal how a new generation of creative talents looks at subjects
as fundamental as the relationship with the body and the study of stage
performance in the age of virtualisation and augmented reality.
Planetesmod: What made you want to go to fashion school?
Théo Saloux: It really was a two-step process for me. I was in the last but one
year of my scientific baccalaureate at secondary school where, as you know, very
little importance was placed on fashion. Our French teacher took us to the
Théâtre de l'Odéon to see Shakespeare’s Richard III. That was in 2016, the year
that marked the 400 th anniversary of the famous playwright’s death. I was
amazed by Thomas Joly’s modern baroque staging and really admired it. It was
really inspiring, and I then became interested in costumes. The other event was
the death of Karl Lagerfeld, which prompted me to learn more about his career
and about the designer’s role. One thing led to another and I realised that I really
liked fashion, costume, clothing and this whole art of creating a character and a
world; I had found my vocation! I applied to ESMOD Paris during my final year,
and I knew before the end of the year that I’d been accepted.
You’re into digital design and staging. How is this reflected in your academic
career at ESMOD?
In the second year, we had a ‘Digital’ option, which I was quick to choose because
I wanted to become more familiar with the CLO 3D software. I already knew a
little about the tool’s environment because I’d learned to use Marvelous
Designer, by the same Korean publisher, on my own so I could dress video game
characters, but CLO 3D is really fashion-oriented. I chose the ‘Performance’
specialisation for my third year of study to keep my hand in with the world of
theatre and dramatisation, of which I’m very fond, because what really drives me,
from a creative perspective, is being able to tell a story.
What motivated you to get involved in the partnership between the school and
Asus?
The partnership related to a design pop-up store held in Paris from 23 to
26 February. It was intended to highlight the versatility of the new Asus computer
(the Vivobook 14) by demonstrating its ability to open a large number of
windows, thus allowing the user to work on many different projects at the same
time. The aim of the initiative was, on the one hand, to demonstrate the
computers’ performance, and on the other hand, to showcase to the public the
new potential that 3D offers when it comes to fashion design, be it in terms of
styling, model-making or animation. Five 2 nd -year students enrolled on the
metaverse/Meta-Wear class were asked to participate, and my software skills
meant that I was also asked.
What challenges did this project present?
The collaborative aspect of the project was a challenge in itself. We had to, in
order, create the avatars, their make-up, their skin colours, their body shapes,
etc. then design the clothes by moulding or drawing them and finally choose the
texture, the fabric, the prints and the method of applying the logo before
bringing everything to life. We worked based on our individual affinities, with
some more interested in creating the avatar or designing the clothing while
others were more into the texture side of things. Personally, I was more
interested in moulding the garments, so creating the patterns.
Are you interested in pattern-making and cutting?
I am, actually. I like to spend hours on patterns, trying to get the best possible
cuts, which is sort of the key, so to speak, to realistic and viable fashion design.
I’d love to become a creative director, and I love the idea of being able to share
with a team a series of silhouettes that are not just drawings but 3D models with
basic patterns. This would, I think, really help speed up the process, even where
the marketing teams were concerned, because a 3D model speaks louder than a
drawing.
Do 3D technologies change our relationship with clothes, with staging or even
with our own bodies?
Fashion isn’t always inclusive, even today, but 3D technologies, as we used them
for the Asus project, for example, do represent a major step in this direction. The
software allows us to capture all types of silhouettes and body shapes, including
large and children’s sizes. The database allows us to finetune lots of different
parameters based on height and weight, and in a realistic way.
So this work using 3D technologies doesn’t steer you away from the concrete
essence of the garment?
Let me give you an example. My end-of-year project is focused on creating a
brand and a collection line that has to be commercially viable. The brand is called
Sublimisme, in reference to sublimation – the creative process of transforming
an impulse, usually sexual or transgressive, into a work of art – and brutalism, an
architectural movement based on large, gross and straight volumes. I’m
developing the 20 silhouettes entirely using CLO 3D, including the prototyping of
the garments themselves, which will give me about fifty or so looks. I’d also point
out that the mannequin I developed isn’t the classic male size 38; I deliberately
made it very large, oversized, even, which allows me to take a different approach
to gradation. This digital work isn’t at all incompatible with the physical reality,
either.
So you don’t think 3D technologies are just a fad?
No, they’re not a flash in the pan or a gimmick. On the contrary, 3D technologies
allow us to further reflect upon the pattern and construction of the garment, its
weight and the choice and density of the fabric without necessarily using
standard sizes. If I print and sew this pattern it’ll give me a true copy of the
garment created, so it’s tangible from a model-making perspective and also
makes it possible to develop an ambitious collection from an animation
perspective, not to mention the savings it offers in terms of time, materials and
fabrics, which are so impressive.