On February 25th, 2025, we invited the academy’s community and prospective students to take a closer look at the behind-the-scenes of the Fashion Design study process at Vilnius Academy of Arts. The academy is participating in a three-year project, FashionTex, aimed at promoting the development and integration of digital fashion. This initiative involves embedding 3D design into the fashion design programs of 11 European universities. Fashion designers are learning new 3D design tools that help accelerate the development of ideas and promote sustainable production processes.

Audronė Drungilaitė, Director of the Design Innovation Centre, briefly introduced the scope of the FashionTex project, highlighted the upcoming call to join the makerspace, and shared high ambitions for a highly interactive fashion show in Germany in the autumn of 2025.

Dainius Bendikas, who leads the 3D Fashion Advanced course, provided an overview of the students’ training process and presented the tasks (such as creating flare and sleek silhouette pieces, experimenting with different fabrics, and working on animation).

Students showcased their process, sharing their favorite features of Clo3D, their achievements, and the small mistakes they made, which were valuable learning experiences. Many noted that 3D modeling has virtually no limits—it allows the creation of any environment, multiple models, and the imitation of professional photoshoots. However, they also acknowledged that what works on screen doesn’t always translate as well to reality. Nevertheless, working on screen is very practical, as it makes the technical aspects and experimentation more efficient, with fewer fabric scraps and leftovers.

These were the students’ first attempts, but many took the tasks seriously and especially enjoyed creating extraordinary avatars (some even made virtual copies of themselves!), adding tattoos, and experimenting with mapping, bumps, and textures. Some students mentioned that they had already applied their new skills in other subjects.

Renata Maldutienė, Head of the Fashion Design Department, expressed her gratitude to the teachers and was impressed with the quality of the work. She strongly believes that mastering digital fashion tools will be invaluable for the students’ future careers.

The project is funded by the EU Creative Europe Programme and partially supported by the Lithuanian Cultural Institute.

The next Open Day at the Fashion Design Department of Vilnius Academy of Arts will take place on April 25th, 2025 and you are happily invited to join!

Photography Rusnė Šimulynaitė