Building a world of fashion where ordinary people can feel extraordinary. Where humans can become superhuman. Taking inspiration from comic books, video games, film, anime, and anywhere else we can find Heroes and Villains, and using that inspiration to develop clothing that pushes boundaries and sits right on the cusp of everyday street wear and the apparel of the super-powered.
For ordering info, go to: volantedesign.us
Just a little sneak peak at a design I’ve been playing around with in my spare time.
I know this blog has been somewhat quiet lately, since we’ve been so busy trying to catch up, and preparing to move into a new, much larger studio. So I’m sorry, and I promise, we’ve got some big stuff coming up real soon, and it’s going to be fantastic.
#Pirassin.#Assassirate.#Edward Stabbyhands.I dunno, anyway, this sketch is a long way from being done. More updates soon.
We’ve made huge headway in the last few days, and will now be able to purchase the 3D software and streamline our design process tremendously.
Now there are only a few hours left, by the end of the day today, the campaign will end. Any funding we receive today will help us to outfit our new studio, which in turn will dramatically decrease production time.
Last chance to contribute!
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/volante-design-superhuman-streetwear/x/1736909?c=home
Thank you all for passing the word around and showing your support for our little business. We have some big plans for the future, and we couldn’t have gotten there without you.
-Enzo
I’ve been revisiting the Journey designs, polishing them up. Changed the hood design slightly, so that it’s slightly more winterized, and more evocative of the wayfarers.
I haven’t redrawn the scarf yet, but don’t worry, it will be a part of the final design.
We’ve come a long way with this campaign, and it’s all thanks to you, our loyal patrons. Now there’s just one week left and we’ve nearly reached our second goal. Help us out go with a bang!
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/volante-design-superhuman-streetwear/x/1736909?c=home
We are happy to announce a brand new perk: Traveler - $45
Receive a sling bag printed with the Volante Design logo. The bags, while not produced by Volante Design, feature a design style similar to what you would expect from Volante. 2 practical zipper pockets, a mesh water bottle pouch, and an adjustable strap make this bag excellent for everyday use.
Please help by passing the word around one last time! Thank you!
-Enzo
The Redcoat.
Here’s the womens version of the Redcoat design I posted yesterday. The two designs are based on the same principles, except that this one has a more feminine shape. The mens version will not have the pleats, but will have similar lines, albeit more masculine.
The Redcoat.
Something I got the inspiration for months ago, and finally got overwhelmed with the need to draw it this week. I don’t know if we’ll ever make it, but I just had to draw it.
I’m still working on the womens version, which unlike most of the rest of my designs has a significantly different cut, although it is based on the same concepts.
If I had my way, both coats would be wool, or something similarly soft and wrinkle free, to help promote the clean line feeling of the design.
All images and designs are copyright Volante Design 2013.
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PS: This has nothing to do with that other thing I have been hinting at for the last few days. I should have more news on that fron by the end of the week.
We are going through some store updates over at volantedesign.us, and have temporarily taken down all of our Assassin’s Creed inspired product.
Never fear though, they will be back, with a vengeance.
-Enzo
simplyhuman2: Do you have anything for people to put in suggestions for future designs?
Check out volanteinspiration.tumblr.com
There’s a submit button.
There’s just over a week left for them, and they really need our help. Every little bit counts!
$15,000 was just the beginning. That was set as our goal because that is the bare minimum we needed to take this next step. Now that we are there, we can start working toward the fun stuff; the things that will really set us apart from other businesses.
If you’ve been following the campaign, you already know that we are raising money to be able to purchase software that is optimized for clothing pattern design. You also know that the 15k we’ve raised so far will fund the basic 2D Computer Assisted Design, or CAD, aspect of the program, and that the next step is some sort of 3D extension to the software.
But what you might not understand yet is how the 3D software will affect Volante Design.
3D rendered prototypes! - Rather than have to go through the process of making a pattern, cutting it out, cutting the fabric, sewing, and so on, we can make a pattern that will be automatically rendered as a 3D model (with fabric physics). This will save us a LOT of time, and allow us to make more new designs.
Real time pattern adjustment! - We’ll be able to change the pattern and immediately see a 3D model reflecting those changes.
The two of those combined with the software we can afford now will allow us to change existing patterns much more quickly, speeding up workflow and helping us not waste time drawing on/cutting out more paper.
More new designs, faster than we’ve been able to before!
Easier to do experimental customization!
Better, more accurate custom fits!
We can be faster overall!
Stronger clothes, thanks to real time stress maps!
It’s quite simple; the extended software will allow us to create 3D virtual prototypes of each of our garments. As a small company, we run into the problem of not having the resources or workers to create new prototypes, because they are too busy working on current orders. With virtual prototyping, we can make tweaks and adjustments and be able to see what difference those changes will make, without having to put a hold on production.
There is a video on the Optitex main page that shows some of the advantages of having the full software package. Be forewarned, the video is done in the cheesiest way possible, but it gets the point across.
More important than that is how it will affect the Volante Design customer experience.
An online store with the capability of showing you what you would actually look like in a particular garment.
Take, for example, the Kenway Jacket. Say you wanted to buy the Kenway, but didn’t know which size would fit you best. Optitex is currently working on a system which will be able to be implemented in a webstore that will allow you to input your measurements, and the system will create a 3D avatar that fits those measurements. You would then be able to take your avatar and apply the Kenway to it. If you apply the size Large Kenway to it, the program will simulate how that size jacket would fit you. If it looks like that size isn’t right, you can try on a different size.
Essentially what we are talking about is a virtual dressing room. Optitex has a basic mockup of how this might work on their site. Since the dressing room isn’t quite ready yet, it does not support clothing sizes or colors yet, but again, it gets the point across.
Take a look at it here: Virtual Dressing Room Mockup
We also do a great deal of custom design and creations. With the virtual prototyping, we would be able to give our custom design clients a simulated prototype before cutting fabric, so that adjustments can be made without wasting time and materials.
Volante Design prides itself in offering multiple color options for each of it’s garments. The trouble we come to currently is that it can be difficult to visualize a color scheme for a particular jacket without seeing it. Virtual prototyping will enable us to create 3D versions of each of the main color schemes, as well as custom color schemes on the fly. So you’ll never have to wonder if a purple and yellow Modern Assassin Armor will actually look good.
It totally would, by the way.
That’s it for now. The next goal [‘C’ above] is set for 25k. When we reach that, there will be another explanation for what comes after it. Keep sharing and helping in any way you can.
New Perk Added to the Indiegogo Campaign!
Thank you all for your opinions on the new Volante Assassin logo. After careful consideration, this is the one we’ve decided on.
In less than a week, we hit 15k, which was our “goal,” but there’s still a long way to go before we’re done. So we designed a new perk: a t-shirt specially designed for the Volante Assassins out there who want to show their support, even when it’s too warm for a jacket.
Check it out: http://www.indiegogo.com/volantedesign/
Playing around with some ideas for the Volante Assassin line. Not sure how I feel about it just yet, although I think I like Option C best, or possibly Option D.
I guess the whole reason for this is that I feel like whoever buys an assassin jacket from Volante Design becomes a part of the Volante Assassin brotherhood. I don’t know if that means I am the maestro of this brotherhood, or just it’s exclusive tailor. Possible implications aside, if you buy a Volante Assassin jacket, welcome to the brotherhood.
If this turns out to be a thing people like, I may put it on a tshirt and offer it as a perk on our indiegogo fundraising campaign.
We are quickly nearing our 15k goal, but that’s just the beginning, the more money we raise, the more benefit there will be for you as a Volante customer. So help out if you can, pass the word around. Keep us going!
-EnzoAnyone has any thoughts? They’d have to be changed more so that I don’t get into copyright problems, but I’m trying to get a basic idea.
EDIT: I added a submission link to volanteinspiration, feel free to submit ideas over there and I will gladly take a look.
Here’s a full explanation of what we are trying to buy, and why each thing is important, and a supplement to the information on the indiegogo page.
Pattern Digitizer: $2,685
Optitex PDS:
2D: $9,700
3D: +$10,000
Animation: +$2,500
= Total: $22,300
Plotter/Large Format Printer:
Small/4ft: ~$4,000
Larger/5+ft: ~$14,000
Why exactly is all that necessary, you ask?
- The bare minimum that we need would be the digitizer plus the 2D PDS, which is why our fundraising goal is set to 15,000. That package will allow Volante Design to import hard-copy patterns into the computer, clean them up and make adjustments, create sizes, etc., and then ready the pattern for manufacturing.
- The 3D PDS is an add-on that enables the user to work with the 2D and 3D patterns side by side. The software is able to simulate cloth movement and drape, so you can see what a 2D pattern might look like when sewn together, and made pattern edits on the fly to either the 2D interface, or the 3D interface. The benefits of this are endless, as are the applications. With this we can create a pattern from a custom desisgn sketch and be able to show the customer what their garment might look like without having to cut a single piece of fabric. From there we can make adjustments as necessary. We can also create 3D representations of color schemes for a particular jacket that have not yet made it to production.
The software is also constantly in development, and something they are currently working on is a web interface, which would allow customers to plug in their measurements, and create a 3D avatar, which can then be viewed wearing any of our available jackets. This way you can see if you might fit better into a large, medium, x-large, and make an informed decision before making a purchase.
- With the animation add-on, we would be able to animate the avatars doing certain activities, to test for range of motion, etc., in each jacket. This also has some obvious marketing applications, involving animated sequences that might be relevant to the character a particular garment is based on, eg. the Kenway assassinating a Redcoat from a tree.
- A plotter is an important piece of equipment in pattern design, because once you have a digital pattern, you need to have a way of manifesting it physically. Small scale plotters are useful for custom work, because there will only be one or two made at a time, so having something that can print out each pattern piece in no particular order is all that is needed. But for manufacturers, a large scale plotter is necessary. Most rolls of fabric are 50” wide, and a manufacturer will cut through 50+ layers of fabric at a time, so they need to have a predetermined layout of how all of the patter pieces fit together, to increase cutting efficiency. Many manufacturers have their own large scale plotter, and while there are major benefits to having one’s own, it would be largely extraneous at this point, which is why we have not raised the fundraising goal to include it as a necessary piece of equipment.
Help us take the next step to becoming a leading clothing company.
http://www.indiegogo.com/volantedesign/x/1736909
We’ve come a long way, making patterns by hand, cutting and taping tiny pieces of paper together, spending as much time adding seam allowance as it does to design the pattern in the first place. But if we want to keep up with the demand for our wares, we need to step up our game, and streamline the pattern design process. And to do that, we need to make the jump to digital.
Unfortunately, digital pattern-making software is expensive, and we don’t have the base capital needed to purchase it outright. Raising this money is going to be necessary to get the next phase of Volante Design off the ground. And the best part is, this phase is just a gateway to the future. There is so much we can do once we have the ability to release new designs more quickly. This is where you come in!
Help us out by clicking the link above and donating a few dollars. Think about it this way: the Volante Design blog has about 5,500 followers. If 5,000 followers each gave $5, we would raise $25,000, which would cover not only the bare minimum we need, but also enable us to purchase the full software upgrade. So even if you only have a few dollars to contribute, everything helps.
We also have some pretty awesome perks available for those who donate, including becoming a VIP, which gives you some say in what designs go up for development, as well as custom artwork, custom garments, and more.
Following this post will be another explaining in full detail what funds we need to raise, and why each thing is important.
Please share this post, and the indiegogo page with anyone you can, we love your support, and with you we really think we can raise the funds we need.
-Enzo
