This is wonderful. I’ve been messing around with computers and ideas for weaving, fabric, and clothing since the days of Z-Grass and vector general before the Mac. It’s about time someone did this.

Thinking about it further, though, I like that you can get the dress made for you, or generate a paper pattern and make it yourself. How about a DIY maker* that would create the dress in either a paper-fabric, sort of like Tyvec, or some other kind of fabric that could be layered, as the maker machines require.

Call it “computational couture.” “Continuum,” a new app by interactive designer Mary Huang, puts bespoke fashion in the hands of anyone with an Internet connection. Huang envisions a web-based fashion label where designs are infinitely customizable yet retain a cohesive—and identifiable—look and feel. You won’t have to sew a single stitch, either. Simply use the app to “draw” your dress and the software will convert your sketch into a three-dimensional model. Not only can physical dresses be purchased through the label,” Huang says, “but the cutting patterns are downloadable free of charge for those who would rather devote the time to making their own.”

via Continuum: An App That Turns Any Drawing Into a Made-to-Measure Dress | Ecouterre.

* I like to think of them as makers as one sees in the Spider Jerusalem comics, Transmetropolitan, by Warren Ellis