I've been the Director of Fabrication of MIT's annual fashion show, the MIT Gala, since my freshman year. I organize campus-wide metal & textile fabrication workshops and offer fabrication expertise to 30+ fashion show designers.
I designed this denim dress for the runway in 2025. I developed the pattern using Clo3D, a CAD software for textiles, and fabricated it by hand.
pattern development
I designed this piece to disrupt the traditional association between denim and casual wear. I experimented with various motifs and panel shapes, as highlighted in these sketches. I ultimately developed the design on the right to achieve elegance through simplicity.
Final dress pattern with dashed seam allowance
fabrication
Clo3D pattern modeling
Large format pattern printing
Pattern cutting
Fabrication planning
Partly fabricated
Grommet application
I implemented topstitching on every seam to punctuate the shape of each panel. Below is a rendering I produced on Rhino to communicate my technique. The red stitching (seam) is sewn first to connect the two panels. The blue stitching (topstitch) is sewn second, after ironing, to control the topography of the dress.
runway
Modeled by Aarushi Mehrotra 26'