6. Computational Couture

Research & Ideation

Hamer Cultrural Dress (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/215750638375458718/)

Computational Couture is a creative and technological approach that merges fashion design, parametric modeling, and digital fabrication to produce garments that are adaptive, sustainable, and conceptually rich. In this project, I explored how parametric design, geometry nodes in Blender, and 3D printing can be integrated to reinterpret Ethiopian traditional attire, specifically the Hamer dressing style, into a computational and modern design framework. This practice allowed me to translate cultural identity into computational design language, producing patterns that embody both heritage and innovation.
The intersection of parametric design and 3D printing is revolutionizing the textile and fashion industries. Parametric design uses algorithmic and procedural systems to control design parameters dynamically enabling the creation of customizable, complex, and adaptive geometries. 3D printing, on the other hand, transforms these digital designs into physical realities through additive manufacturing, allowing for seamless garments, flexible materials, and sustainable production. By combining both technologies, designers can achieve tailored structures that were previously impossible with conventional textile methods. This process redefines what fabric can be transitioning from woven threads to digitally generated geometries.
Hamer Dressing Style (Southern Ethiopia)
The Hamer people of Ethiopia are renowned for their intricately decorated leather garments, beadwork, and woven accessories. Their traditional clothing often features layered textures, shell embellishments, and natural color palettes derived from earth tones and organic materials. For this project, the woven and draped structures of Hamer dress served as the aesthetic and conceptual foundation. The goal was to reinterpret the weaving patterns and body silhouettes of Hamer garments through computational parametric geometries and bistable auxetic metamaterial structures that simulate flexibility and organic draping.
Bistable Auxetic Metamaterial Structures
Bistable auxetic metamaterials are an advanced class of architected materials that exhibit a negative Poisson’s ratio, meaning they expand laterally when stretched rather than contracting, as conventional materials do. These systems possess two stable equilibrium states (bistability), allowing reversible transformations between configurations without continuous energy input. Such structures are highly relevant to adaptive textiles, responsive wearables, and morphing fashion applications, where flexibility and mechanical responsiveness are essential. Inspired by ancient geometric motifs and tessellations, bistable auxetic patterns can be designed parametrically in Blender Geometry Nodes, enabling the generation of reconfigurable woven-like surfaces that merge aesthetic tradition with digital fabrication precision.
Building on the seminal work of Rafsanjani and Pasini (2016) and related research by Overvelde et al. (2015), I have also explored and conducted several experimental studies on bistable auxetic metamaterial structures. My investigations focused on form generation, deformation response, and 3D-printing adaptation for textile and fashion design applications. These explorations deepened my understanding of how bistability and auxetic behavior can enhance computational couture, contributing to new material concepts that combine elasticity, comfort, and geometric adaptability in 3D-printed garments.

Bistable Auxetics (Rafsanjani and Pasini, 2016)

Therefore, based on this research and the inspiration gained from the lectures and tutorials, I practiced extensively with Blender to strengthen both my technical and design skills. I began with learning the basics of Blender’s interface and modeling tools, followed by exploring Geometry Nodes to create parametric forms and procedural patterns. As part of the exercise, I experimented with instancing the Monkey (Suzanne) mesh on grid points, applying transformations and realizing the instances for 3D print preparation. Building on this foundation, I designed and simulated various fashion-inspired digital garments, including a jacket, gown-like dress, and T-shirt, to study how computationally generated forms can be adapted for wearables. I also developed and make ready the hamer top wear for 3D printing. Finally, I 3D printed a single Monkey model using the Flashforge Guider II printer, testing the print parameters, adhesion, and resolution to understand the translation of digital geometry into a tangible prototype.

References & Inspiration

Throughout the course of this project, I received invaluable guidance and inspiration from Fabricademy mentors and lecturers who deepened my understanding of computational design, textile innovation, and 3D fabrication workflows.
• Julia Koerner Al Rawi (Lecturer & Designer, Computational Couture Module) Julia Koerner’s lectures and case studies provided an exceptional introduction to parametric design for fashion, particularly emphasizing multi-material 3D printing, organic geometries, and digital fabrication workflows for wearable applications. Her professional work bridging architecture, technology, and haute couture served as a major inspiration for exploring how 3D printed textures and lattice structures can be seamlessly integrated into garments. (Reference: Koerner, J. (2025). Computational Couture. Fabricademy Lecture Series.)
• Dr. Kadian A. Gosler (Lecturer, Parametric Design Evaluation & Material Testing) Dr. Kadian’s sessions introduced advanced evaluation methods for parametric design, emphasizing the importance of parameter exposure, material simulation, and body–fabric interaction. Her approach inspired the integration of parametric control systems within Blender’s Geometry Nodes to study how design parameters influence curvature, stretch, and adhesion in 3D-printed textiles. (Reference: Reeda, K. (2025). Material Behavior in Parametric Systems. Fabricademy Applied Research Lecture Notes.)
• RICO Kanthatham (Instructor, Blender Geometry Nodes Intensive Tutorials) Mr. Rico’s intensive practical tutorials on Blender Geometry Nodes were instrumental in developing procedural workflows for this project. His guidance helped me understand instancing, node parameter exposure, and modular tile generation, which were later applied to create the woven and auxetic patterns in my Hamer-inspired dress design. (Reference: Kanthatham, R. (2025). Geometry Nodes Workshop Series. Fabricademy Tutorials Archive.)
• Rafsanjani, A., & Pasini, D. (2016). Bistable auxetic mechanical metamaterials inspired by ancient geometric motifs. Extreme Mechanics Letters, 9, 291–296.
• Overvelde, J. T. B., de Jong, T. A., Shevchenko, Y., Becerra, S. A., Whitesides, G. M., Weaver, J. C., Hoberman, C., & Bertoldi, K. (2015). A three-dimensional actuated origami-inspired transformable metamaterial with multiple degrees of freedom. Nature Communications, 7, 10929.

Acknowledgements
I extend my heartfelt appreciation to Anastasia Pistofidou, Fabricademy Co-founder and Global Coordinator, for her continuous encouragement, coordination, and effortless support throughout this project.
Special thanks also to Kawaida, Rwanda Fab Lab Coordinator, for his technical support, tutorials, and guidance during the design and 3D printing stages, which were essential in realizing the outcomes of my computational couture exploration.

Tools

- [Blender 4.5.3]-Parametric modeling, Geometry Nodes, simulation, rendering (https://www.blender.org/download/)
- [Flashforge Guider II 3D Printer]-Physical 3D printing with PLA (https://www.flashforge.com/pages)
- [Orca Flashforge slicer]-Slicing and G-code generation for 3D printing (https://www.flashforge.com/pages/orca-flashforge)

Process and workflow

1. Learning and Practice

To develop this project, I practiced extensively with:
• Blender Basics – mesh modeling, modifiers, and object management.
• Geometry Nodes – creating parametric patterns, instancing objects on grids, and manipulating procedural surfaces.
• Parametric Garment Forms – generating base forms such as jackets, gowns, and T-shirts procedurally.
• 3D Printing Tests – printing a monkey mesh as a sample structure on the Flashforge Guider II printer.

The image shows a 3D jacket created in Blender using Geometry Nodes. The surface of the jacket is covered with many repeated instances of the Blender monkey head (Suzanne), giving it a dense, patterned, sculptural look. All instanced monkeys are highlighted in orange.

At the bottom, the node setup uses a jacket mesh as the base object and instances the monkey mesh onto its surface using Instance on Points. A material is applied to complete the final procedural jacket design. I made it by following Rico's Tutorials.

I made this image by a grid of Suzanne monkey heads generated in Blender using Geometry Nodes. The monkeys are evenly distributed across a flat plane, each one instanced on a point of the grid.

A grid of Suzanne monkey heads made in Blender with adding shade and metalic property

This shows a vibrant 3D gown created from many vertical cylindrical instances, giving it a layered, brush stroke or fur like texture. The jacket has a gradient color effect transitioning from purple to pink, controlled through a shader.

The image is similar to the above and shows a Blender workspace where a gown shaped form is generated using Geometry Nodes. The jacket appears as many vertical cylinder strands with a gradient color (white - purple - green). The Geometry Nodes setup is visible at the bottom, and the material settings (including a ColorRamp) are open on the right side.

This image shows a Blender shading setup applied to a grid of vertical cylinder strands.

2. Geometry Node Setup

I used Geometry Nodes to simulate a woven-like pattern: • Created a base human silhouette (MakeHuman/Blender mesh).
• Used Mesh to Curve → Curve to Mesh nodes to extract and convert the edges of the body.
• Applied procedural instancing of repeating geometries.
• Controlled thickness using Solidify and Set Material nodes for visualization.
• Adjusted grid density and curve profiles to simulate textile draping.
This workflow enabled non-destructive, parametric modification of the garment structure.

Thia image shows a Blender Geometry Nodes setup used to generate a T-shirt-shaped surface made of repeated hexagonal instances

This image was similar to the above only shade difference

3. Integrating Bistable Auxetic Metamaterials (Not done now)

To emulate flexible woven behavior inspired by Hamer fabric: • Designed auxetic patterns (expandable geometries that deform under tension) in Blender using node-based patterns.
• Used ancient Ethiopian geometric motifs (triangles, diamonds, and zig-zag lines) as base cells.
• Applied Boolean and Array modifiers to repeat motifs across the silhouette.
• Tested material flexibility using TPU filament, chosen for its elasticity and textile-like behavior.

This image is a stretchable, deformable mesh breasted top, inspired by bistable auxetic/ bead-logic lattice designs to make for Hamer - Omo Valley beadwork patterns.

4. 3D Printing Process

Printer: Flashforge Guider II
Filament: PLA (Polylactic Acid)
Layer Height: 0.2 mm
Nozzle Temp: 210°C
Bed Temp: 24°C
Infill: 20%
Speed: 25 mm/s
Steps: 1. Exported the final garment surface as .STL.
2. Sliced in FlashPrint, adjusting infill and shell thickness.
3. Printed directly by uploading the PLA
4. Allowed partial cooling before detaching to retain surface adhesion.

This image slicing to make ready for flashforge 3D printer

After Uploading in the 3D printer for starting printing process

During the 3D Printing process

The final output from the 3D printer

3D Models

Side look of the hamer breasted top
Front view
Back view

The final look of the gown like designed

Outcomes & Learning Reflections

This project demonstrated that:
• Computational design tools can reinterpret traditional cultural dress into modern, parametric structures.
• Geometry Nodes provide a flexible platform for procedural garment creation.
• 3D printing with flexible materials opens possibilities for new textile architectures.
• Cultural identity can inform digital materiality, merging heritage and innovation.

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