Fashion Design

Department-wide guidance

Dezyne E'cole College

Department of Fashion Design | Ajmer

This is a 15-day, fully digital fashion hackathon run entirely in CLO 3D. No physical garment is made. You will design, draft, sew, simulate and present your garment virtually, using the same workflow a fashion brand uses to make a digital sample before any fabric is cut in the factory.

Brands around the world now approve styles, fit and colourways on 3D samples before a single physical sample is made. Global contests run by CLO with fashion houses, and student awards such as the Redress Design Award, judge entries on how complete and believable the design is, not only how attractive the render looks. This hackathon follows that standard.

• Entry: individual or team (maximum 2 members). Each entry submits one CLO project file.
• Own patterns only: every pattern piece must be drafted by you in CLO 3D. Ready-made garments, or patterns downloaded from CLO-SET, CONNECT, marketplaces or the internet, are not allowed and lead to disqualification.
• Library assets: CLO's default avatars, fabric presets, trims and hardware may be used. Fabric physical properties must be adjusted to behave like the fabric you specify.
• AI tools: AI image tools may be used only for research and mood boards, and must be declared in the video. CLO's AI features (for example AI texture or pattern tools) may be used only for textures and must also be declared. The garment, patterns and renders must be your own CLO work.
• Version history: save the project every day with a version number (for example _v01, _v02). Faculty may ask to see version history at any checkpoint or during judging.
• Public gallery: submitted projects are publicly visible. Identity 2026 waives the restriction on publishing before results.
• Credit your references: any traditional motif, historical garment or designer reference that inspired you must be named in your concept board.
• The decision of the jury is final.

First Year

Every Inch Counts

1. ABOUT THE HACKATHON

As 1st Year designers, you will prove that you can make a real garment with zero waste, and that you understand how fabric behaves on a body.

2. THE CHALLENGE

Roughly 15% of the fabric used to make clothes is lost on the cutting-room floor. Most of it is created at the drawing board, when a pattern is designed without thinking about the fabric it will be cut from. Zero-waste design fixes this at the source: the designer plans the garment and the fabric layout together, so that the pieces fit the fabric like a jigsaw.

Your task is to design a dress that a woman would actually buy and wear, cut from a fixed length of fabric with zero waste. In CLO 3D you will prove two things: that the pieces fill the fabric rectangle completely, and that the same pieces sew into a dress that fits.

3. DESIGN CONSTRAINTS

Zero-waste proof (new)

International zero-waste awards ask designers to submit exact pattern measurements and a cutting plan as evidence. You will do the same. Your cutting plan must include:

• The 112 × 250 cm (or shorter) rectangle with every piece labelled and dimensioned in cm.
• A remnant map: each small piece numbered, with a note on where it goes in the dress (for example "R3 – 4 × 40 cm – neck binding").
• A fabric utilisation figure: total area of pattern pieces ÷ area of the fabric rectangle × 100. The target is 100%. If any area is unused, show it in red and explain why.

4. FABRIC STUDY

Simulate your final dress in two fabrics and compare how each drape.

• Set CLO's fabric physical properties so that each fabric behaves like the real one. Do not just change the colour.
• Write 3–4 lines on which fabric suits your design better, and why.
• Material honesty (new): for your chosen fabric, add one line on its source. Is it a natural, man-made or recycled fibre? Could it come from deadstock or surplus fabric? Global sustainable-design awards ask entrants to state the origin of every textile they use.

5. WHAT YOU SUBMIT

Design reflection questions

Answer each question in 2–3 lines.

• Which part of your dress was hardest to make zero-waste, and how did you solve it?
• What did you have to give up in your original sketch to achieve zero waste? Was it worth it?
• Who is your wearer, and why would she choose this dress over a conventional one?
• If this dress were produced 1,000 times, how much fabric would your method save compared with a normal cutting layout? (An estimate is fine; show how you worked it out.)

6. VIDEO SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

The video is the face of your entry.

Technical specifications

Video structure

7. RULES AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

• Avatar: set to the Indian size chart provided by the department. Base size is M unless your brief says otherwise.

ORIGINALITY DECLARATION

To be signed by every team member and uploaded with the submission as a PDF.

I/We declare that this entry for the 1st Year "Every Inch Counts" brief of the Dezyne E'cole CLO 3D Digital Fashion Hackathon 2026 is my/our own original work. All pattern pieces were drafted by me/us in CLO 3D. No downloaded garment or pattern files were used. All references, traditional motifs and AI tools used have been declared. I/We understand that submitted projects appear in the Identity 2026 public gallery.

Title of entry: ______________________________________________

AI tools used (if any) and purpose: ______________________________________________

Second Year

The Space Between

1. ABOUT THE HACKATHON

As 2nd Year designers, you will prove that you can develop a foundation pattern from first principles and take a garment towards production: fit, grading, marker and colourways.

2. THE CHALLENGE

The tent silhouette hangs from the shoulders and flares out to the hem without touching the waist. It has returned to fashion again and again: Cristóbal Balenciaga's loose silhouettes of the late 1950s, Yves Saint Laurent's famous Trapeze line for Dior in 1958, the space-age dresses of the 1960s, and today's relaxed, body-neutral dressing.

It is also the most practical silhouette for an Indian summer. Air moves between the body and the cloth. The trick, and the skill this brief tests, is to give the dress volume without losing balance at the shoulder, the armhole and the hem.

Your task is to develop a tent foundation pattern from the basic block in CLO 3D, design an original tent dress from it for a defined customer, and develop it the way a brand develops a sample.

3. REQUIREMENTS

Step 1 – Build the tent foundation

• The foundation must hang from the shoulders and bust, with no waist shaping (no waist darts and no waist seam).
• Hem sweep must be at least 1.5 × the hip measurement. State your actual figure.

Step 2 – Design your variation

Develop the foundation into an original dress using at least two of the following design devices:

Step 3 – Develop it to sample standard

4. CLO 3D SKILLS BEING TESTED

Block development, slash-and-spread, dart manipulation, internal lines, pleats and gathers, symmetric and asymmetric patterns, grading (Grading tool and grade rules), fit map and strain map, Colorway feature, graphics and texture placement, 2D marker arrangement, avatar animation, rendering.

5. WHAT YOU SUBMIT

How to show the marker

• Create the marker in the CLO 2D window by arranging all size M pieces inside a rectangle equal to the fabric width. Respect grainlines and print or nap direction.
• If the lab has marker software, the pattern may be exported in DXF-AAMA format and the marker made there; include a screenshot.
• Marker efficiency = (total area of pattern pieces ÷ area of marker) × 100. Show the calculation.

6. VIDEO SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

The video is the face of your entry. The jury watches the video first, then opens your CLO file to verify it. A strong video tells the story of a decision-making designer, not only a finished garment.

Technical specifications

Video structure

7. RULES AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

• Avatar: set to the Indian size chart provided by the department. Base size is M

PRE-SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

• ☐ Tent foundation built from the block; stages saved and shown
• ☐ Hem sweep ≥ 1.5 × hip measurement (figure stated)
• ☐ No waist darts and no waist seam on the foundation
• ☐ At least two design devices used
• ☐ Graded S, M and L; grade rule table complete
• ☐ Strain map and fit note for size M
• ☐ Size M marker with efficiency % calculated (target 75%+)
• ☐ 3 colourways and the colourway line-up image
• ☐ Tech pack complete
• ☐ Movement clip, renders and a 3–5 minute video exported and named correctly
• ☐ Originality declaration signed by all members

ORIGINALITY DECLARATION

To be signed by every team member and uploaded with the submission as a PDF.

I/We declare that this entry for the 2nd Year "The Space Between" brief of the Dezyne E'cole CLO 3D Digital Fashion Hackathon 2026 is my/our own original work. All pattern pieces were drafted by me/us in CLO 3D. No downloaded garment or pattern files were used. All references, traditional motifs and AI tools used have been declared. I/We understand that submitted projects appear in the Identity 2026 public gallery.

Title of entry: ______________________________________________

AI tools used (if any) and purpose: ______________________________________________

Third Year

Kaftan Unbound

1. ABOUT THE HACKATHON

As 3rd Year designers, you will work as a brand would: brand identity, customer, price, production and presentation are all judged. This is the closest the hackathon comes to a real industry brief.

2. THE CHALLENGE

The kaftan is no longer just resort wear. Festive prêt labels now offer kaftans for mehendi, sangeet, Diwali parties and family functions as a comfortable alternative to the lehenga and anarkali. Your customer wants to look festive and feel at ease, and she wants to buy it online in her size.

Create a festive label (a real-style brand or your own), define its customer and price range, design a hero kaftan for it, and take that kaftan through the complete digital product-development process: pattern, fit, grading, marker, colourways, tech pack and costing.

3. REQUIREMENTS

A. Your brand

B. The garment, to production standard

C. Tech pack and costing

Your tech pack must be complete enough for a factory to make the garment without asking you a single question:

• Flats (front, back and detail views), spec sheet with tolerances, full grade table
• Bill of materials: every fabric, lining, trim and finding, with quantity per garment
• Construction and stitch details: seam types, SPI, finishes, embellishment placement
• Colourway sheet and marker report
• Costing sheet (new): fabric consumption × rate + lining + trims + embroidery or print + making (CMT) + packaging = cost price. Apply your brand mark-up to reach the MRP, and check that it falls inside the price band you set in your brand book.

D. Responsible design note (new)

Half a page answering three questions, as the world's leading sustainable-design awards ask of their finalists:

• Where would your fabric come from, and is a lower-impact option (handloom, deadstock, recycled or certified fibre) possible at your price?
• How have you reduced waste in pattern and marker (for example by using offcuts for latkans, potlis or facings)?
• How can your customer re-wear the kaftan beyond one festival? Suggest at least two styling options.

4. INDIAN TEXTILE MOTIF – GUIDANCE

Choose one motif tradition and treat it with respect: name its origin, the community or region it comes from, and what the motif means. Do not copy a single artisan's or brand's design; reinterpret the vocabulary.

• An engineered print is designed to fit the exact shape of the pattern pieces (for example a border that follows the hem curve, or a motif centred on the yoke). It is not a repeat dropped on the fabric.
• Check that the motif matches across seams at centre front and at the shoulder.

5. CLO 3D SKILLS BEING TESTED

Advanced pattern development, grading across 5 sizes, fit and strain maps on multiple avatars, multi-size 2D marker or DXF-AAMA export, Colorway feature, engineered graphic placement, trims and hardware, layering and lining, avatar animation or scene setup, high-quality rendering, and tech-pack outputs.

6. WHAT YOU SUBMIT

How to show the marker

• Create the marker in the CLO 2D window by arranging all pieces for every size in the ratio inside a rectangle equal to the fabric width. Respect grainlines and print or nap direction. Engineered-print pieces may need to be placed one way only; account for this.
• If the lab has marker software, export the pattern in DXF-AAMA format and make the marker there; include a screenshot.
• Marker efficiency = (total area of pattern pieces ÷ area of marker) × 100. Fabric consumption per garment = marker length ÷ number of garments in the marker. Show both calculations.

8. VIDEO SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

The video is the face of your entry. The jury watches the video first, then opens your CLO file to verify it. A strong video tells the story of a decision-making designer, not only a finished garment.

Technical specifications

Video structure

9. RULES AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

• Avatar: set to the Indian size chart provided by the department. Base size is M unless your brief says otherwise.
• Brand names: if you build a "real-style" brand, invent your own name and logo. Do not use an existing brand's name, logo or trademarked print.

PRE-SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

• ☐ Brand book and customer persona complete
• ☐ 5 sizes graded; fit shown on S, M and XXL with strain maps
• ☐ Multi-size marker ≥ 85%; efficiency and consumption calculated
• ☐ 4 colourways including 1 engineered-print colourway
• ☐ Motif origin named and credited
• ☐ Full tech pack with tolerances, BOM and costing sheet; MRP inside the price band
• ☐ Responsible design note written
• ☐ Scene or runway clip, renders and a 3–5 minute video exported and named correctly
• ☐ Originality declaration signed by all members

ORIGINALITY DECLARATION

To be signed by every team member and uploaded with the submission as a PDF.

I/We declare that this entry for the 3rd Year "Kaftan Unbound" brief of the Dezyne E'cole CLO 3D Digital Fashion Hackathon 2026 is my/our own original work. All pattern pieces were drafted by me/us in CLO 3D. No downloaded garment or pattern files were used. All references, traditional motifs and AI tools used have been declared. I/We understand that submitted projects appear in the Identity 2026 public gallery.

Title of entry: ______________________________________________

AI tools used (if any) and purpose: ______________________________________________