FASHION DESIGN

RESEARCH // 3D PROTOTYPING // FINAL PRODUCT DELIVERY // CLO3D // LECTRA MODARIS // SUBSTANCE // BLENDER

** Please note: Due to NDAs, various fashion, garment, and specific environment work completed for The Modern Mirror cannot be displayed publicly. However, I’d be happy to discuss my contributions and experience in detail during interviews. **

Final Year Collection

‘HEROES’ by FORNELIUS // BREAKDOWN

        For my final major project, I wanted to create a menswear collection that was both deeply personal and technically ambitious. Inspired by three close friends—two survivors and one who lost his life in the 2019 STEM School shooting—I aimed to honor their passions and individuality through a collection that explored the intersection of functionality, emotion, and design.

        The goal was to design a six-look autumn/winter menswear collection rooted in each friend’s personality, translating their stories into fully realized digital and physical garments. I also wanted to build a virtual showroom that gave context to their inspirations through immersive digital environments.

Key takeaways:

  • Used CLO3D to develop over 20 digital prototypes per look, which enabled me to physically construct garments with minimal waste—only one physical prototype per look was required before final production​.
  • Designed each garment with reference to personal details, such as a tactical vest for Brendan and the use of sunset orange—the color one of my friends' father was going to help him paint his car after graduation.​
  • Created a virtual showroom using Unreal Engine and WorldMachine, simulating unique environments that reflected each friend’s world—mountains, desert, forest. I modeled all assets and terrains myself, optimizing for both narrative impact and performance​.

        The project earned recognition at Graduate Fashion Week and positioned me as a finalist in multiple award categories and winning the Fashion Innovation Award. More importantly, it demonstrated how emotionally driven storytelling and technical precision can coexist in digital fashion. The project saved significant production time, reduced physical sampling by over 80%, and showcased my ability to lead a complex workflow from research to production to immersive presentation.

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Zach's digital closet

ZACH'S DIGITAL CLOSET // BREAKDOWN

        Here I wanted to create a personal pipeline challenge that pushed my material realism and asset consistency across platforms. Instead of referencing external materials or scans, I chose to replicate garments from my own closet entirely from scratch.

        The goal was to build an efficient, repeatable workflow for digital garment creation that would hold up under both creative and technical scrutiny—especially when facing difficult textures like custom knits, crystals, worn/fraying fabric, and unconventional fabric blends​.

Key takeaways:

  • Digitally recreated each fabric in Substance Designer, “weaving” every thread to match the real-world structure of the original garment, rather than pulling textures from image references.
  • Built precise patterns in CLO3D using flat patternmaking knowledge and manual measurements from the physical garments. Ensured fit accuracy through simulated wear and drape, adjusting construction details iteratively.
  • Textured in Substance Painter, layering wear, stretch, sheen, and tiny imperfections to match how each garment had aged in real life—this was especially critical for realism in worn knits and embellished fabrics like rhinestones.
  • Finished assets in Blender, where I adjusted material nodes for final realism, lit scenes for physical accuracy, and refined silhouettes and surface interaction.

        As a result, I developed a highly modular workflow that let me tackle garment realism from material to fit without relying on pre-built assets or stock textures. This approach improved turnaround time and fidelity while giving me a better grasp of how material properties behave across platforms—knowledge that translates directly into scalable asset libraries.

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nike air max 1 3d visualization

NIKE AIR MAX 1 3D VISUALIZATION // BREAKDOWN

        I was commissioned by a client to create a high-accuracy 3D model of the Nike Air Max 1 for their personal creative use. The client didn’t need textures, only clean UV’d geometry to build their own designs on top of. After completing the modeling, I decided to take the project further by developing custom materials and final renders, based on a live Nike product listing.

        The primary deliverable was a fully UV’d, production-ready model that the client could apply textures to with no clean-up. Afterward, my self-directed task was to texture the shoe in detail, using a diverse range of materials—each mapped and rendered with realism and nuance.

Key takeaways:

  • Modeling:
    Created the entire shoe from scratch in Blender, paying special attention to UV integrity across complex overlapping geometry like the midsole, eyelets, and heel structure​.
  • Built custom materials in Substance Sampler and Painter, including:
            - Heavy canvas (quarter), brushed suede (mudguard/swoosh), small grain leather (toebox/tongue), open-cell foam (lining), PU-injected foam (midsole), and spotted rubber (outsole)​.
  • Developed a custom particle system in Blender to simulate fraying and nap on the suede surface, resulting in highly realistic edge behavior.
  • Created custom embroidered logos for the tongue and heel tab, incorporating layered displacement and metallic stitching effects.
  • Rendering:
    Produced three polished renders in Blender using different lighting and angle setups to showcase profile, sole, and structure​.

        The project pushed both my modeling discipline and material design depth—challenging me to combine utility and artistry. The final renders represent one of my most advanced footwear visualization pieces and show my readiness to handle real-world manufacturing detail, accurate material behavior, and optimized asset structure. It also proved that my workflow could scale across product categories.

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PRADA MONOLITH LOAFER 3d visualization (VIEW ON YOUTUBE!)

PRADA MONOLITH LOAFER 3D VISUALIZATION // BREAKDOWN

        I wanted to push both my footwear modeling and storytelling-through-materials skills by recreating my own worn pair of Prada Monolith loafers in 3D. I believe that the missing link in anything 3D design related has to do with the human touch. So, attempting to tell the story of how I interact with my own shoes and infer details from those stories was a huge part of this project.

        My goal was to digitally replicate the visual and tactile wear patterns of the shoes—including creases, scuffs, color variation/stains, and sole wear—to capture not just the product, but the story of use, habit, and time.

Key takeaways:

  • Years of walking on gravel, concrete, wood, etc. shaped the wear patterns on the rubber sole. The way I lean on one foot when waiting or rest one foot on top of the other left marks. These became the creases and scuffing on the inside of the foot.
  • Modeled the base form in Blender, sculpting in larger wear areas such as toe creases, heel compression, and side folds.
  • Used Substance Painter to layer in nuanced surface detail:
            - Roughness maps and noise to simulate leather aging.
            - Normal and height maps to represent scuffs, stitching warping from the tensioning on the sewing machines, and sole scratches.
            - Color variation and edge wear to reflect real-world discoloration from daily wear.
  • Referenced specific marks and folds from my physical pair to guide accuracy—including sole wear from different surfaces and scuffs from the way I shift my weight when standing.

        The final renders reflect both material realism and emotional authenticity—each imperfection grounded in actual use. This project highlighted my ability to combine technical control with narrative subtlety, using texture to tell a human story. It remains one of my most detail-driven and personally meaningful builds​.

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FASHION LOOKS + Digital humans

FASHION LOOKS + DIGITAL HUMANS // BREAKDOWN

        While I had strong experience in digital menswear and technical material work, I had limited exposure to womenswear design and had never created a full 3D human. To expand my capabilities, I set out to challenge myself with both at once by recreating an intricate Mugler crystal bodysuit from scratch on a self-modeled digital avatar​.

        My goal was to prove to myself that I could step into completely unfamiliar territory and still produce a professional-grade outcome. I wanted the final product to feel polished enough for production visualization while also capturing the detail and drama of the original piece.

Key takeaways:

  • Modeled the digital human from the ground up, handling facial topology, shader complexity, and realistic hair systems. I used Blender for sculpting, grooming, and final renders, building a complex shader tree to support skin realism and subsurface scattering​
  • Constructed the garment in CLO3D, carefully mapping body-construction zones and adapting the pattern to fit a more sculptural silhouette.
  • Used Substance Designer and Painter to create the crystal trim system, building up both the mesh placement logic and the layered texture details like refraction, surface distortion, and sparkle.
  • Brought all components into Blender for fine-tuned lighting, shading, and post-processing, with a focus on making the garment interact believably with the body and light environment.

        This project solidified my confidence in working through the unknown. I developed the ability to independently research, troubleshoot, and solve new modeling, rendering, and garment design challenges. I walked away not just with a compelling visual—but with a personal workflow that’s now applicable to character-driven storytelling, immersive digital fashion, and future collaborative pipelines.

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burberry INDUSTRY bRIEF

BURBERRY INDUSTRY BRIEF // BREAKDOWN

        As part of a group project responding to a Burberry industry brief, we were tasked with developing a garment collection that honored the brand’s heritage while pushing forward with inclusive, technology-enabled design. We needed to balance commercial viability with creative risk and digital precision​.

        My specific responsibility was to lead pattern development and digital fitting across multiple garments. I aimed to introduce kinetic pattern cutting and inclusive sizing through 3D scanning technology, ensuring that both the design and the fit would reflect modern performance needs and real-world body diversity​.

Key takeaways:

  • Developed a custom kinetic pattern block as the foundation for the base layer, trench coat, and puffer silhouettes. I refined this through repeated digital fittings to ensure universal adaptability across garments​.
  • Implemented 3D body scanning to generate custom avatars and fit models beyond industry-standard sizes. This enabled us to design with a broader spectrum of users in mind and tailor garments for realism, not just the runway​.
  • Pattern cut and prototyped multiple variations, including a reversible cropped trench coat, optimizing material usage and construction logic in CLO3D and Blender. I ensured that each block was technically clean and production-ready.
  • Referenced Arctic explorer wear and indigenous design principles to inform construction, while translating these influences into a luxury sportswear context through paneling, color blocking, and hardware details.

        The final garments delivered a clear blend of Burberry brand ethos and future-facing technical design, with versatile silhouettes, precision pattern cutting, and inclusive sizing. My work on the kinetic block became foundational for multiple team members’ garments, streamlining our process and ensuring consistent fit. It also gave me hands-on experience designing at production standard.

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Personal style development (detail exploration)

PERSONAL STYLE DEVELOPMENT // BREAKDOWN

        After completing my final major collection, I wanted to carry forward and expand on the design language I had spent countless hours refining. I recognized that consistency and repeatability in details—just like in traditional pattern blocks—could be leveraged as a design “system” for future personal work.

        I set out to develop a core set of signature design details that could serve as a modular foundation across future collections. My goal was to make these details scalable, technically sound, and translatable across different garment types and fabrication approaches​.

Key takeaways:

  • Developed a three-look capsule collection (hoodie, bomber, and puffer) where every design choice—from seam placement to silhouette balance—was intentional, modular, and documented for future reuse.
  • Constructed all garments in CLO3D, and created high-resolution layplans (visible on pages 3–5), ensuring the repeatability and technical clarity of each detail​.
  • Used a neutral palette and clean rendering style to strip away distractions and focus on construction, linework, and shape—establishing a visual benchmark for future experimentation or collaboration.
  • Iterated multiple versions to isolate which pattern and seam treatments created the most balance, ease of movement, and visual identity. Each piece served as a “test garment” for developing a consistent visual vocabulary.

        This project gave me a functional, re-usable system of construction logic and surface detail that operates like a personal pattern block—but for style and identity. It reinforced my ability to think long-term, document work for scale, and maintain a clear visual language while still innovating. These pieces now serve as a technical and aesthetic foundation for future client work, freelance projects, and personal collections.

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HUGO BOSS S/S25 DEMO (4 DAY SPEED TASK) (Outfit + env)

HUGO BOSS S/S25 DEMO (SPEED TASK) // BREAKDOWN

        I was given a tight four-day turnaround to recreate select Hugo Boss runway garments for a demonstration task. The brief was limited to recreating the outfits, but I saw it as an opportunity to push beyond expectations and demonstrate my ability to lead full-scene development under pressure​.

        While the instruction was to reproduce the garments, I decided to expand the scope to include a complete menswear and womenswear look, create a realistic environment, and develop a polished, presentation-ready visualization using my full 3D workflow.

Key takeaways:

  • Used CLO3D for rapid digital garment construction, balancing time constraints with accurate fit, fabric behavior, and silhouette.
  • Modeled and composed a full 3D environment in Blender, focusing on lighting, surface interaction, and real-world spatial logic​.
  • Brought the scene into Unreal Engine 5, where I implemented high-fidelity material rendering and optimized camera angles for clarity and dramatic effect.
  • Added accessories and styling details to both looks, treating this as a brand-specific mini-campaign rather than just a technical demo.
  • Used AI image enhancement tools post-render to refine facial realism and final polish, simulating a production-level campaign image that merges digital fidelity with editorial presence​

        I turned what could have been a straightforward asset recreation into a compelling visual story, showing initiative, compositional skill, and cross-software agility under pressure. This project demonstrated my ability to deliver high-quality visuals in accelerated timelines, integrate multiple toolsets seamlessly, and go beyond the ask to create work that feels production-ready, brand-aligned, and emotionally engaging.

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