The Fabricant, winner of the Dutch Design Award (DDA) in the category Fashion, has been rewarded by MINI with an extra prize. The collective gets access to their own MINI Electric Camden Edition for a year and will be involved as ambassador for MINI. Out of all 8 winners, the committee of MINI and DDA selected The Fabricant, because of their forward-looking and radically new digital-first approach to fashion.
— ‘The Fabricant and MINI find each other in a digital-first and sustainable approach to production and creation, in which each individual can develop and present themselves.’
LEELA | THE FABRICANT
Digital fashion house The Fabricant launched a beta test of its digital fashion platform LEELA in 2020. LEELA – which means ‘play’ in Hindi – allows users to create a photorealistic avatar that they can dress in digital couture from the specially created FLUID collection. With 3D technology, they can capture images of their digitally dressed avatar from multiple perspectives and share them on social media, among others. The Fabricant thus responds to the need of a new generation to express their ever-changing identity in a conscious and sustainable way through (digital) fashion. A revolution in the wearing experience of fashion and a new business model for the post-pandemic fashion industry.
MINI
The Fabricant is fully focused on the future. While for many people a digital garment still seems hard to imagine, it is already much closer than we think. This also makes The Fabricant a perfect match with MINI. For example, MINI introduced the Vision Urbanaut to the general public completely digitally; the physical Vision car was only made later. MINI summarizes its mission as ‘Big love for the Planet and for the People’. The hybrid way in which The Fabricant deals with fashion has a strong sustainable component, which fits in perfectly with MINI’s vision of the future.
The technique of The Fabricant lends itself perfectly to the fitting of clothing, which drastically lowers the threshold for made-to-measure clothing. The Fabricant offers endless possibilities to ‘stitch & switch’ and shines a totally different light on the presentation of garments and the individual. A theme that MINI as a brand also strongly promotes: the cars are made for everyone, to show who you are. MINI’s ‘Big Love’ is about openness, optimism and celebrating differences. The Fabricant initiates an inspiring system change and a new model for the fashion industry, which is also worth following in other sectors.
DDA21 jury
Since 2017, this digital fashion house with a promising mix of qualities has been showing how the fashion industry can change: The Fabricant asks questions about the future of fashion and identity in an increasingly hybrid world, challenges big brands to think differently and interweaves artisanal techniques and great design power with innovative and commercially interesting applications. With LEELA as a playground for self-expression, The Fabricant brings even more depth to a democratic model. Through its bespoke approach, it offers both on-demand retail opportunities and more space for personal expression and experimentation. With this layered approach, The Fabricant sets new standards for the wearing experience and emotional value of fashion.