Mobile Couture: French Designer Creates World’s First Fashion Collection Produced by a Smartphone

• Award-winning Aurélie Fontan has developed a capsule couture collection using the new Samsung Galaxy Note9

• Cutting-edge technology was used in the creation of the pieces – with 3D printing, design robots and prototype sketching all controlled through the handset

LONDON, UK – October 18, 2018 – Aurélie Fontan, an award-winning fashion designer, has achieved a fashion-first by creating the world’s first capsule couture collection designed and produced from a smartphone.

Aurélie partnered with Samsung to use its Galaxy Note9 in the seven major steps of design and production to produce a world-first ‘Mobile Couture’ collection.

The handset was used to sketch, wirelessly communicate with new production tools, print 3D fastenings, and paint fabric patterns remotely to produce the unusual collection.  It also uniquely allowed Aurelie to speed up the entire prototyping and development process through synchronising apps with suppliers, as well as being able to connect with them or evolve her designs wherever she was.

Putting progressive design first, the Mobile Couture pieces offer a considered alternative to the fast fashion system and maximise the power and potential of mobile and digital technology. The final garments were made from a mix of recyclable leather and biodegradable 3D plastic fastenings, with the whole process design to finished articles completed in six weeks.

The ultra-powerful Note9’s S Pen gave her precision and control in sketching, whilst the powerful processing and storage capabilities enabled her to directly connect to powerful technology tools to speed up, live edit and innovate around both the development stage and in final production – all through a device that could fit in her pocket. As one example, the Note9 sped up the prototyping process by approximately 40% and the collection was created in eight days, instead of the usual 14.

How the Galaxy Note9 was used

Sourcing inspiration

• The camera and its signature S Pen were used to source, annotate and keep inspiration for Aurélie’s digital sketchbook
• Using its impressive battery and large storage capacity, Aurélie could access, add to and work on her digital sketchbook on the move, wherever inspiration struck

Sketching designs, patterns and fastenings

• The garment shape, fabric patterns and fastening hooks were all drawn using the fine-tipped S Pen, as if using pencil on paper, on the Note9’s large 6.4 inch display

Producing 3D printed garment fastenings

• The intricate garment fastening drawings were rebuilt in an app called OnShape^[1] to create digital designs suitable for 3D printing
• These files could be sent directly from the phone to the Ultimaker 3D printer. Typically a computer would be needed at this stage
• The 3D printing process itself was monitored in real-time on the handset, allowing Aurélie to live edit if needed

Wirelessly remote-painting patterns

• The fabric pattern design was wirelessly sent to a Joto X – a highly advanced, digital drawing robotic device that transferred the complex pattern onto the garments’ leather base

The final looks

• The 3D-printed fastenings were used to stitch the patterned leather together to create the final garments
• Aurélie then created her ideal digital look book using the Bluetooth-enabled S Pen to take images without having to touch the phone, leaving her hands free to make final adjustments and get the perfect, controlled shots
• To make it even easier, the Note9’s intelligent camera features, such as Flaw Detection, alerted her to any issues with the images before they were taken

The Note9 is designed for peak power, performance and productivity for creators looking for a phone that enables them to both work and play all day long. With a 4,000mAh battery, up to 512GB of storage, which can expand to a world-first 1TB^[2]2, a cutting-edge 10nm processor; support for the fastest network speeds available, and the iconic and newly-Bluetooth enabled S Pen, the phone’s limits were tested in the production of these three dresses and one coat.

Aurélie Fontan said; “As someone whose creativity is driven by the potential of technology and science, it was really interesting for me to find that there was a smartphone that actually had the capabilities to control and own the whole production process of an entire collection.  My ideas are ambitious and aim to challenge traditional processes so, as a young designer, it was liberating to be able to see them come to fruition using a device that I always have in my hand.”

 About Aurélie Fontan

Aurélie Fontan is a 2018 fashion graduate from Edinburgh College of Art. Famed for her world-first Kombucha dress, which was made using fabric grown entirely from Kombucha tea, sugar, bacteria and yeast, her profile has grown in the fashion industry, and she was named “one to watch” by Elle Magazine. Aurélie Fontan is also the winner of the Dame Vivienne Westwood Sustainable & Ethical Award, M&S Womenswear Award and the Catwalk Textiles Award.

[1] OnShape is only available on Android devices

[2] Applies to 512GB model. Up to 512GB additional storage with external MicroSD card (sold separately).   External Memory may be used to store media (photos, video, and music files) but not applications