Finalist 2023

IDES Studio

IDES Studio

IDES Studio is a first-of-its-kind Digital Fashion Studio facilitating the transition to 3D design for fashion brands and individual professionals.

IDES Studio is founded by a New York City fashion industry veteran, now residing in Victoria. It's the first-of-its-kind Digital Fashion Studio, aiming to facilitate the transition to 3D design for small brands and individuals, revolutionizing the Australian fashion industry by promoting the use of 3D technology. IDES Studio offers unique digital products that streamline the 3D design process, providing detailed product information and fit data, similar to an e-commerce platform. IDES assists brands in achieving their sustainability goals by facilitating digital design and offering 3D software tutorials to foster skill development in the Australian and global fashion sector.

Design Brief:

IDES Studio's primary goal is to facilitate the adoption of 3D software in the fashion industry, particularly in Australia. Many face challenges in acquiring the necessary skills and integrating 3D seamlessly into their workflow without disrupting operations. To justify the initial investment, quick results are crucial. Building from scratch in the software, digitizing patterns, creating garment libraries, achieving photorealistic output, and maintaining proper fit are among the common obstacles.

3D adoption in fashion is relatively new, with limited skilled designers and educational resources. Fitting in 3D presents challenges, even for seasoned fit specialists. Existing templates and resources lack fit information and production quality standards. Utilizing 3D to its full potential is a struggle for all in the adoption phase. Exploiting 3D software throughout the full design, production and marketing processes is crucial for fashion's economic and environmental future.


This project was developed by:

Design Process

IDES offers fit-approved and production-friendly pattern making and 3D garment templates, digital materials and accessories for photorealistic outputs, as well as concise tutorials for utilitizing CLO 3D software in digital design, pattern making and garment production. These resources enable a seamless shift to 3D, empowering brands and individuals to enhance their design process economically and sustainably.

The inspiration behind IDES' product line is traditional e-commerce stores that provide extensive product descriptions, fit information and compelling editorial imagery. The process began with developing a library of both male and female garment blocks in the most useful industry fit sizes. Blocks are meticulously crafted by a professional pattern maker and assessed by a 3D fit expert in multiple 3D programs. They are offered as 3D file templates and universally printable PDF patterns. Focused collections are released periodically aimed at covering the most useful garment silhouettes, materials and accessories for a particular garment category, E.g. Tailoring, Loungewear, Outerwear.

Alongside product collections, IDES releases tutorials and educational materials around relevant topics for implementation and finalisation of their digital products. The objective of IDES' educational content is born out of lack of succinct tutorials that focus on 3D as a tool for physical garment production. In an effort to help users wade through the sea of information and possibilities with 3D, IDES provides short, topical tutorials with accompanied resources and products, aimed at pattern accuracy and how best to use 3D for accurate physical production. The feedback is always positive and centres around the clarity in delivery of lessons, often stating IDES is the best resource for learning CLO 3D. Requests for specific tutorials and paid courses are consistent, as are requests for more garment blocks and a wider range of available sizes.

Design Excellence

IDES Studio's founder, with extensive experience training employees in 3D software at renowned companies like Nike, Lululemon, Canada Goose, Macy's, and Carhartt, is acutely aware of the challenges in learning and implementing 3D in design practices. IDES digital products maintain the highest industry standard, reflecting a decade of pattern-making and fit expertise, along with insider knowledge from working at CLO Virtual Fashion. Patterns are meticulously edited for fit, clarity, and cleanliness. The quality of all digital products ensures seamless integration into designs.

IDES tutorials are created with professional video and audio quality. They draw from experience in creating various in-person training programs at CLO, as well as overhauling CLO's digital tutorial series. They offer succinct and detailed information, complete with time stamps and product links, making CLO software training accessible and effective.

To inspire and engage potential users, IDES Studio showcases meticulous photorealistic digital imagery, demonstrating the scope of possibilities in 3D design. Educational materials reflect the same standard of quality and share that knowledge with the audience to promote broader adoption and excitement around 3D design.

Unlike the homogeneous design aesthetic prevalent in the current 3D industry, IDES stands out by expressing everyday textiles and physical fashion trends in 3D with realism. While many focus on futuristic and technical aesthetics, IDES remains rooted in physical production, setting itself apart in the world of 3D design. IDES sets a new understanding that 3D isn't just a video game aesthetic, but can be useful and accurate in it's physical and digital output for any fashion aesthetic.

Design Innovation

IDES Studio stands as a pioneer in the digital realm by offering digital products with fit accuracy and information. IDES products provide users confidence in receiving expertly crafted resources, supporting all stages of development, especially physical production. Unlike any other digital brand, IDES delivers comprehensive resources that are easily understandable and familiar to customers in an e-commerce format, addressing the struggle of finding high-quality 3D products.

In a similar manner, IDES is a revolutionary resource for education materials regarding 3D. The quality and aesthetic of these resources assures the user that they can trust the knowledge and experience behind them. Tutorials cut out any excess and do not overwhelm users with unrelated information. They are a highly unique resource, merging pattern-making techniques and 3D in a way that is digestible to novices in either area.

IDES Studio is solving challenges in 3D adoption while drawing users into 3D in the first place, mitigating these challenges before they even arise. The experience of the fashion professional implementing 3D into their design practice is not only the central focus of IDES, but at the core of our own experience.

Design Impact

In less than a year, IDES Studio has successfully established a vibrant social media platform with an eager audience seeking further 3D education and resources. We've fostered strong local connections with institutions like RMIT University, City of Melbourne Libraries (including MicroLabs and the Makers Space), and the local team for CLO Virtual Fashion. Additionally, we've connected with numerous Victorian brands, manufacturers, and industry professionals. Our global reach extends to Europe, the US, Canada, and Asia, with our growing customer base.

IDES Studio's journey thus far includes being featured on a Canadian podcast, where we discussed the 3D landscape and its application in the intimate apparel market. Our Tailoring collection released in March 2023 began a successful and continuing partnership with a fellow 3D Fashion Designer, who amassed over 100k new followers as a result.

The adoption of 3D design in the fashion industry is not only necessary but also inevitable. Though Australia currently lags in this regard, IDES is confident in accelerating the process, granting Australian users and the industry a catapult entry into the world of 3D, surpassing their overseas counterparts and avoiding common pitfalls. Melbourne, with the first-ever local 3D Software Company employee and RMIT's early adoption of CLO, holds the potential to become a breeding ground for 3D implementation, transforming the local fashion industry with the support of IDES Studio.

Circular Design and Sustainability Features

3D fashion design offers substantial benefits, significantly reducing time-to-market for physical garment production, minimizing physical samples, waste, and shipping costs. This efficiency allows creatives to focus more on the design process, leading to better designs and increased sales, ultimately reducing waste. By saving time in development, rushed shipments, over-ordering of materials, and excess production quantities can be avoided.

Utilizing 3D as a sales and marketing tool enables pre-selling. This not only eliminates the need for physical sampling for sales purposes, but also leads to more accurate sales projections, reducing waste further. Additionally, 3D enhances fit accuracy and reduces returns, leading to decreased shipping and waste.

For the global fashion industry's future, integrating 3D into physical production and e-commerce processes is essential. IDES Studio addresses the question of "when and how" the Australian fashion industry will embrace 3D. Our purpose is to facilitate seamless 3D integration into fashion design practices locally and globally. With our in-depth knowledge of the challenges and pitfalls, we strive to guide industry professionals through this transition swiftly and successfully.

Fashion Design 2023 Finalists

The Huxleys

The Huxleys

Nuoqi Shen

Mars Odyssey

Captain Robbo 2023 Bio-Nylon + Merino Range

Katy Robinson AKA Captain Robbo

The Social Studio x Kay Abude x Alpha60

The Social Studio / Kay Abude / Alpha60 / Michelle Phan - Ugly Cute Collective