September 15, 2020 |
In two days, the second digital iteration of London Fashion Week will begin. Brands – both established and emerging – will have to establish innovative ways to display next season’s fashions in the virtual realm. For many, this will be their first real stepping stone into the world of digital fashion, uncharted waters, you could say.
Published By is one brand which doesn’t have to worry about fashion’s digitalised future. Founded in Austria back in 2017, creative director Christoph Tsetinis makes accessories which are led by technology and inspired by the natural world.
Backed by a small team of tech-driven artists, creatives and innovators, the Published By family is united through a shared “common goal of pushing fashion into the future through new production, creation and visualisation methodology,” explains Tsetinis.
“I always wanted to create something innovative – something that would push the fashion-forward and show people something more,” he says. “Fashion has so much potential and I still don’t understand why designers don’t maximise the use of emerging technologies.”
Tsetinis’ first introduction to the world of hi-tech came at just 14-years-old. His father worked for a big supplier for a car company, which used 3D printing – a factor that deeply interested the budding young designer right up until he met friends at university who studied architecture; coming in contact with the futuristic invention once more. “It was like a door opened up to a completely new universe for me,” affirms the designer, who wanted to apply the technical capabilities of architecture to accessories.
“I interned for some incredible designers after university then started creating leather bags in 2017, they were beautifully crafted and made in Italy,” he continues. “However, after showing the collection in Paris during our first season, I was walking through the luxury stores and thought: does anyone really need another nicely made leather bag?”
Making the move back to Austria that same year, Tsetinis sold all his sewing and leather machines and bought himself a computer and 3D printer – starting again from scratch. Since then, the designer has become synonymous for his otherworldly, metallic creations which look as if they could be extracted from a planet far from our own.
Yet even a man of the future couldn’t escape the disruption caused by the global pandemic. Production samples for Publish By’s SS21 were put under immense delays and wouldn’t be ready for in time for sales appointments over summer. Tsetinis was to combat this by creating a digital-first collection, where all accessories were crafted entirely in a digital environment.
Using 3D modelling and rapid prototyping programming, the brand was able to digitally create the whole collection in ten days. Currently existing as purely digital files, each of the bags are available for free across Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. This virtual try-before-you-buy initiative ensures Published By creates zero-waste, as it will only be when a customer purchases an accessory when it gets sent to the 3D printer.
“We’re going to keep pushing technology, it changes every six months so Published By will continue to stay on top of new innovations,” says the designer. “Technology is the guiding light for the future of fashion.”
