Teaching the Future of Fashion at London College of Fashion

“Why aren’t we being taught this earlier?”

That was the reaction from a student after Holly New, Founder and CEO of STUDIOOFNEW, spent the day teaching at London College of Fashion (UAL).

By the end of the workshop, what began as curiosity had turned into something far more exciting: students were already integrating the studio’s AI–VR–CLO workflow directly into their own design projects. The session explored how modern fashion design is evolving beyond traditional tools. Instead of treating technologies like AI, virtual reality and 3D CAD as separate experiments, STUDIOOFNEW demonstrated how they can work together as a structured pipeline that strengthens creativity while accelerating production.

Designing in Three Dimensions

Throughout the workshop, students experienced the workflow in action.

Design began in Gravity Sketch, where garments and accessories were created directly in 3D space. Custom trims and buttons were modelled, exported through Blender, and then integrated into CLO Virtual Fashion to demonstrate how immersive design can feed into precise digital garment development. What became clear very quickly was that this was not about technology for its own sake. The moment students understood how the pipeline worked, they began applying it immediately. Ideas moved faster. Concepts became more ambitious. The tools stopped being intimidating and instead became an extension of their creative process.

A New Industry Emerging

One of the most exciting conversations during the session centred on where fashion is heading.

Fashion, gaming and digital production are no longer separate industries. Increasingly, they are merging into a new creative ecosystem where designers must understand both physical garments and digital environments. For many students, the realisation was immediate. They could see not only how the workflow functioned, but how it could shape their careers. This intersection between fashion, gaming and immersive technology is exactly where STUDIOOFNEW operates.

Real Impact

Following the session, one student shared their experience:

“Learning how to import from Blender into CLO 3D and explore VR design was incredibly useful. It really helped me understand the workflow more clearly. I found today’s content very practical and inspiring, and I’m excited to keep experimenting with these tools in my own projects.”— Andrea, LCF student

For STUDIOOFNEW, this is the goal: not simply to demonstrate new tools, but to empower designers to use them confidently and creatively.

When students leave a room already applying the workflow to their own projects, it becomes clear that the system works.

Designing the Future

As fashion continues to evolve, the most exciting opportunities lie at the intersection of disciplines.

Designers who understand how to move between AI-driven ideation, immersive VR design and technical 3D garment construction will help shape the next generation of fashion.

STUDIOOFNEW exists to explore exactly that space.