MA student uses VR fashion pipeline to design concert outfit for Fortnite performance
Holly New from Arts University Bournemouth creates a digital stage look for music artist NØELLE using AI, VR, and Clo3D.
Photo credit: Arts University Bournemouth
A student from Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) in the United Kingdom has designed a digital fashion look for an avatar performing in Fortnite.
Holly New, who is studying MA Digital Fashion Innovation, created the stage outfit for singer NØELLE’s virtual persona as part of a metaverse concert series produced by Copper Candle.
The concerts will take place within Fortnite’s Creative mode. Players will be able to access the event using a custom island code starting August 9. The shows are designed to loop continuously, restarting when new players enter the virtual space.
NØELLE’s performance is not affiliated with Epic Games but uses tools within the Fortnite Creative platform to deliver an immersive experience.
Workflow combines emerging design tools
Holly developed the outfit using a combination of generative AI, VR design, and Clo3D software. She says the pipeline reflects her MA research into digital garment workflows that operate outside traditional fashion design software.
“Using a combination of AI, VR and Clo3D, I worked with NØELLE to achieve a look suited to her music,” says Holly. “I designed her stage outfit using my full pipeline; built in VR, refined in Clo3D, driven by vision, not templates.”
She adds, “I used the AI for garment ideas, VR for base building and sketching to test ideas, and then brought it all into Clo3D for refinement before being put into Fortnite.”
Independent creators explore new digital platforms
The project marks Holly’s first design for a Fortnite environment and highlights how digital fashion is intersecting with virtual performances and game platforms. While not officially affiliated with Epic Games, the work is being used to test methods of delivering fashion-driven storytelling inside 3D interactive spaces.
Holly explains, “What started as a VR workflow that I worked on day and night, using tools no one thought belonged in fashion, has just made its way into one of the biggest platforms in the world. I couldn’t be prouder, STUDIOOFNEW, my studio, the world's first VR Fashion Studio is pushing the boundaries of fashion design and garment creation, integrating immersive XR technology directly into the fashion pipeline.”
