DIGITAL DESIGN + INNOVATION
Fashion has ever been evolving, and with it – the technology that surrounds it. JAG has implemented a 3D fashion design technology into our manufacturing process that has cut our sampling costs by half. This technology allows for digital pattern making to happen on 3D garment images, further allowing our designers to innovate both time pressures and costs.
This design process allows for more sustainable manufacturing that minimises sample wastage and transit emission, while also allowing us to optimise the way garments fit on virtual avatars to deliver a better finished product to our website.
To further explain this process, we sat down with one of our digital software design technicians working as part of our design team, Annie.
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR ROLE HERE AT JAG.
Hi my name is Annie Tran and I am the 3D technician for JAG.
What I do is work with the designer and QA tech to bring their designs to life using 3D imagery. We go through three rounds of virtual fittings. In each round we focus on silhouette, fit, design details and styling. When the 3D garment is finalised, we get to play with colours, prints, trims and finishes. 3D sampling allows us to see what we are getting from our suppliers in real time with accurate specifications tailored to our customers' standards. This increases our confidence then to sign off and buy into these styles for the coming seasons.
We don’t just use 3D in the beginning of a collection but all throughout the development stages until the sample comes in. We continue to use it again in our online and social media stories.
I love what I do and it's so exciting to see the love and support from our customers when we drop a new collection.
WHAT DID YOU STUDY + WHAT INTERESTED YOU ABOUT IT?
I studied a bachelors with honours of design in fashion and textiles at the University of Technology Sydney. At UTS I learnt the fundamentals of design, fashion illustration and pattern-making. It was a great environment to explore your identity as a designer and embrace your creative side.
University was a tough couple years with a lot of long hours researching, sourcing, sewing, and meeting deadlines but I had a lot of fun and created a lot of great memories and skills that translated into what I do now.
Why I chose fashion design was influenced by growing up with a seamstress mum as well as my passion to draw and create. I would remember going to my mum’s shop after work to help her seam rip and mend clothing which I found quite therapeutic.
WHERE DID YOU LEARN ABOUT DIGITAL 3D DESIGN AND WHAT DID YOU ENJOY ABOUT IT?
In my honours year I discovered 3D fashion and was lucky enough to have the downtime during COVID to explore this medium. I trained myself through online tutorials and materials and created a 3D collection titled: Anniesaquarium, showcased in an underwater themed game where the player can manoeuvre through the environment to discover and collect all six outfits. It was tough to be self-taught, but that was also one of the things I enjoyed the most.
I really wanted to push my designs, embracing the unlimited possibilities of 3D design, creating things that disobeyed the physics of reality. It was a vital time in my studies which lead me to do what I do at JAG. I’m still discovering new practices and techniques which is one of the facets that I really enjoy with new technologies. There are no set rules and you can unravel things as you go.
WHY DO YOU THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR BRANDS TO DEVELOP THIS KIND OF TECHNOLOGY + INNOVATION IN THEIR PROCESSES?
The benefits of this 3D technology also enable far more sustainable design practices due to minimising sample manufacturing wastage and emissions, while also facilitating improved fitting on virtual 3D avatars. Amid cost and time reduction, the main reason for adopting this process is with sustainability in mind, particularly considering JAG was established on responsible design principles.
The benefit of less sampling production has been profound - in terms of fabrics, the sampling process and sample shipping, these factors have been halved. It's a really sensible innovation in so many ways. In the future, we're excited to explore the power of 3D sampling in designing for circularity - better cutting yields, designing out waste, designing for easy upcycling or repair.
Related article
Behind the Seams: JAG Denim
Go behind the seams with JAG as we share our commitment to sustainable denim—highlighting the people, processes, and purpose behind every pair we create.
MATERIALS
Fibres for our future. Here at JAG, we're all about leaving a lighter touch on the world we love. We're on a mission to drive a transition to low impact fibres. And guess what? We've put together a list of our favourite materials that JAG revolves around. We value transparency with our customers, so we've shared our top preferred fibre choices and why we've made the conscious decision to use them.
DIGITAL DESIGN + INNOVATION
Fashion has ever been evolving, and with it – the technology that surrounds it. JAG is one of the Australian brands at the forefront of digital 3D fashion design, building the use of this technology into our design, manufacturing and marketing process. Read more about the process here.
OUR RESPONSIBILITY
THE CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE
This festive season, transform your gift-giving into an art with our handpicked selection of JAG lifestyle essentials. Whether you're shopping for the fashion-forward friend or the style-savvy family member, we've got you covered. Make sure you’re the favourite child this Christmas by surprising your loved ones with gifts that go beyond the ordinary.
JAG ON YOU - SS23
Explore the world of JAG, as we see how our customers like to style some of the best pieces of the season. Ultra-versatile and made for a relaxed, laid-back summer aesthetic, our Spring Summer collection embodies a coastal Australian lifestyle. Get inspired by some of our faves, who show us how to seamlessly style the best of JAG's summer collection.
IN CONVERSATION: LUCY SIMPSON OF GAAWAA MIYAY
I graduated from UNSW Art & Design in 2009 and established Gaawaa Miyay in the same year. My connection to design and making started at an early age, as a young girl making jewellery from emu feathers and echidna quills for family and friends (by-product of big family and community meals) as a way of maintaining connections - a holder of country and a tactile vehicle of exchange.
CREATING THE RAW BEAUTY LOOK OF OUR SS23 CAMPAIGN SHOOT
In the wake of our SS23 campaign shoot, we're thrilled to share with you some insider beauty tips from our favourite hair and makeup artist, Nisha Van Berkel who has offered us some of her top tips for glowy skin and a natural radiance to help you step into the new season with a natural glow.
COUNTRY TO COUTURE
It was an honor to be a part of the Indigenous Fashion Projects runway show this August, showcasing our JAG x GAAWAA MIYAY capsule, titled 'Of Place'. Country to Couture is a runway show held on Larrakia Country in Darwin, where First Nations textiles, fashion and art collide in a colourful showcase of creativity from across Australia. Country to Couture is a contemporary way of cultural storytelling, and sharing knowledge.
THE DENIM CARE GUIDE
Denim is the hardest working part of any wardrobe. It’s a timeless staple that we turn to as part of our everyday wardrobe, and at JAG, we have been perfecting denim since 1972. Taking care of it is in our genes.
NEW SEASON: SS23 OF PLACE
For Spring / Summer 2023 we have taken inspiration from one's connection to country and place as we strive to employ more circular design principles at JAG.
FIBRE 101: COTTON
Our preference is to source the most responsibly grown cotton. Some of the types of cotton used in our timeless designs include organic cotton, Better Cotton Initiative, Good Earth Cotton, GOTS, among others.
FIBRE 101: MAN-MADE CELLULOSICS
Regenerated cellulosics are a bit like cotton, but a whole lot better. Man-made cellulosic fibres (aka, MMFC’s), commonly known as viscose, rayon and modal, are unique in the world of textiles. They’re created through a hybrid process where natural materials – wood pulp (the ‘cellulose’ of trees) or cotton waste – are broken down and mechanically turned into a pure cellulosic fibre. Though they mimic the lustre and fluidity of silk, not all these fibres are created equally.
FIBRE 101: DENIM
Denim has been around since way back in 17th century, and was originally named after a city in France where it was first made: Nîmes, also known as ‘Serge de Nîmes’, which eventually became the ‘denim’ as we know it today. Fast forward a bit to 1873, denim was made even more famous by an American tailor who manufactured the first rivet-enforced denim pants. Initially designed as durable workwear, denim gained popularity in the 1950s and has been an everyday wardrobe hero ever since.
FIBRE 101: POLYESTER & OTHER SYNTHETICS
Polyester, and other manufactured synthetic fibres such as nylon and elastane, are derived from petroleum. Their use and disposal comes with negative environmental impacts like the leaching of microplastics through wash and wear. At JAG, we have a preference of not using synthetics unless they provide a function that prolongs the life of the garment. Where possible, we use recycled polyester instead of virgin polyester.
FIBRE 101: WOOL & ANIMAL HAIR
We’re on a mission to make your fashion choices easier. Wool is a key fibre for us (moreso in the winter months of course). We love it because it’s one of the earth’s most renewable fibres, being an annually shorn and replenished resource. Its unique structure gives it a natural ability to breathe, stay wrinkle-free, and adapt to different climates and situations, and as a fibre it has great recycling potential.
FIBRE 101: LEATHER
Leather is one of those materials that’s been used for thousands of years, enduring through its ability to provide durability, insulation, and protection from the elements. Our use of leather is super limited for obvious reasons; and we’re extra committed to full transparency on where our leather is coming from and conscious of how many products we offer that are made from leather.
FIBRE 101: LINEN
You might have noticed that we’re a little obsessed with linen. It’s one of the oldest cultivated fibres in human history, with most of the world’s linen being grown on the coastal band of Western Europe stretching from Northern France through to Belgium and the Netherlands. Linen fibres are thicker and longer than cotton, which gives it the strength and longevity that JAG products are known for.
JAG X GAAWAA MIYAY
Yuwaalaraay wirringgaa Lucy Simpson is Creative Director and Principal Designer and Maker behind Gaawaa Miyay, a First Nations process led studio. Lucy’s work is grounded in and guided by the timeless and sophisticated philosophies of First Nations design.
AS SEEN IN: THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW
JAG is exploring the next frontier in digital design by introducing 3D Virtual Fashion Technology that is revolutionizing the way we design and develop our apparel. The use of this innovative technology allows us to dramatically reduce sample waste, trial unlimited fabrications and print layouts in turn reducing sample production by over 50% and improving design sustainability ethos.
JAG x GOOD EARTH COTTON®
Good Earth Cotton ® is a proudly Australian owned farm that has been developing industry-leading regenerative farming practices for years, leading the way in lower impact agricultural models for the growth and harvest of cotton. Good Earth Cotton ® seeks to minimise the environmental footprint of their cotton and maximise the benefits it can provide to soil health and biodiversity.