We quiz our expert tutors on everything from their AI secret weapon to the power of the Influencer…
Sylwia Szymczyk
3D Apparel Specialist Timberland I 3D & AI Fashion Developer @Max Mara I Lecturing Digital Making of Fashion @ iLa
How did you get started in the world of digital design and pattern-making?
I made my first 3D garments when I was 10. I was playing “The Sims” and wasn’t happy with the in-game garments, so I changed the textures to make them nicer. I didn’t know at the time I was texturing, but it was the first digital fashion gig I’d ever taken!
Later, I was working with an Australian fashion brand with tight deadlines and budgets. I thought the only way to meet them was digital prototyping. When the client arrived in Italy, the garments were exactly as expected. This was a game-changer—I had proof it worked, with the timeline and budget met.
Were there any pivotal moments that shaped your career?
I come from a modest family; my parents couldn’t afford fashion school. In fact, I studied biology. This lack of inclusivity, when the real unfair advantage that counts is money (or people you know) pushed me to look for solutions to make the future industry a space for creatives, no matter where they come from.
Is there a weird skill that’s turned out to be incredibly useful in your career?
I get bored easily. I am not able to work on repetitive tasks! It makes me the perfect person to innovate and break the status quo, something I truly believe the fashion industry needs.
Are there any movements that you believe are essential for young designers to study?
Everything around generative AI. It is the future of fashion, whether we like it or not. And only the ones able to embrace these tools will interest fashion companies in the future.
We can tell ourselves romantic stories about art, creativity and craftmanship, but fashion companies are businesses. If there is technology that makes operations easier, faster and cheaper, this is where they will go.
AI won’t replace creativity, but it streamlines mundane tasks. It helps brands be more productive, more creative and deliver garments that customers are looking for.
Designers able to use AI correctly have a huge advantage in the job market of tomorrow.
What’s one thing about working in digital pattern-making that would shock most people?
I don’t know if it is shocking, but 2D CAD part of 3D tools is almost exactly the same as 2D CADS, already widely used in industry. So this is actually not a tool for designers, but it brings more value to pattern makers and is also much easier to teach to pattern makers.
How do you see AI and virtual reality reshaping fashion design? (And would you let AI design your clothes?)
I am already letting AI design my clothes!
AI is the future of fashion, and it is closer than we may think. Most big brands already have internal AI tools under development or developed. I am involved in implementing such tools in VF Corp.
The design process will look slightly different. Designers will take better-informed decisions and design what customers want. Allowing us to focus on creativity, instead of Excel sheets.
As for VR/AR/XR, it will take a little bit more time. Customers are not ready; there is still the uncanny valley part that has to be solved. But AI will also help here to create better outputs.
For young people designing their own virtual fashion line, what apps should they start with?
Social media insights. Brands no longer dictate what is trendy – customers are. Everyone is publishing with hashtags like #floraldress. Make yours, and sell it directly from your socials!
If you had to design an outfit that screams rebellion, what would it look like?
Probably something grunge in an elegant version, suitable for the office.
One piece of advice you’d give to a teenager who dreams of shaking up the fashion world?
Invest in your personal branding. It’s not about who you know, but about who knows you. Today, with a well-crafted presence on social media one can become a go-to person in 12-18 months.
The influencer thing is not a bubble, it is completely changing marketing, the job market, and the creative industries – be there, and invest in how people perceive you.
You can design the most beautiful garments in the world, but without raving fans nobody will ever care. If you have fans, you sell, and you have eyeballs on you: from customers, from fashion brands, from press, and from investors.
QUICK-FIRE Q&A:
Your “secret weapon” tool?
Fermat AI toolkit
Must-read book?
Lean Startup It describes the mindset to have to work in innovation.
Coolest thing you’ve done with software?
Making digital garments that are ready to be produced physically in a few hours.
One fashion “rule” that deserves to be broken?
Bulk orders and MOQs in production. This is wasteful and generates overproduction. Lean methodologies have already proven that it is not the fastest way to produce.
Dobrila Denegri
International Art & Fashion Curator | Author | Lecturing Cultural Context in Fashion, Art & Design @ ILA
Tell us about your background and your career big break.
I grew up in Belgrade surrounded by contemporary art, as my parents were art historians. In the 90s, I began organising fashion – or, more likely – ‘antifashion’ presentations and writing about fashion and art.
After earning a History of Art degree in Rome, I worked as a curator at MACRO – the Museum of Contemporary Art. There, I organized a lecture by Naoki Takizawa, then artistic director of Issey Miyake, and became fascinated by Miyake’s “Making Things” show at Fondation Cartier – this sparked my interest in fashion exhibitions. At the time, nobody spoke about fashion curating. So, I began to conduct interviews, reaching out to Linda Loppa, Kaat Debo, Judith Clark, Valerie Steele, and others to explore fashion curation.
For me, the best way to gain knowledge is through learning by doing. When I became artistic director of one of Poland’s newest and biggest contemporary art museums, CCA in Tourn, I ventured into fashion curating with the exhibition “Wonderingmode” in 2013. I focused on practices that are neither art nor fashion, but a hybrid, something not necessarily wearable, like works by designers Hussein Chalayan and Iris Van Herpen. I continued this exploration with the touring exhibition “Transfashional”, from 2016 to 2020. My latest adventure is EFA – Experiments in Fashion and Art, a think-tank and community of in-betweeners who work in the domain of art and critical fashion.
Your favourite art-in-fashion moment?
The Fashion Biennial in Florence, held in 1996/97, which Germano Celant, Ingrid Sischy, and Franca Sozzani curated. It was amazing to see the city transformed into a gigantic open-air museum showcasing the best of fashion and art. This event initiated the whole contemporary fashion curation path, although it probably happened too early and wasn’t understood or received well back then.
Which cities are the best sources of contemporary art and fashion inspiration?
I like what happens in Arnheim, Holland, and the biennial State of Fashion manifestation there. It addresses the structural change that has to occur in the mainstream and luxury fashion industry. It departs from the sustainable agenda and focuses on the Global South as a new creative pool. The last edition of the State of Fashion platform happened simultaneously in several other cities in India, Brazil, and Kenya. Those, and similar previously considered marginal, are the places to look more closely at.
Which digital galleries do you recommend for inspiration for our international creative crowd?
New York’s New Museum has online exhibitions, which can be viewed on the museum’s website. Gallerie Köning’s website also features a magazine with interesting insights into artists working with the gallery. Revelin magazine features art, design, fashion, cinema, and music, paying particular attention to young creatives.
What does an art and design piece need to be worth your attention?
I am always drawn towards those pieces that make me wonder, and lost for words!
Raffaele Scalese
CEO | CFO | Retail Director of global fashion brands | Lecturing Visual Communication and Strategies of Luxury Brands & Fashion Start-Ups @ ILA
What have been the game-changing moments that shaped your fashion career?
When I travelled to India to oversee the production of evening dresses designed by Tom Ford for the Gucci maison. I witnessed firsthand the incredible work being carried out in the workshops, as well as the passion and skill of every artisan involved.
This experience sparked my deep appreciation for fashion as a medium for turning an idea into reality—a fusion of creativity, imagination, and the desire for self-expression.
Sustainability: buzzword or revolution? How does it fit into a luxury brand’s DNA?
I believe sustainability is neither a revolution nor a buzzword—it’s a necessity.
We know that the fashion industry, especially due to fast fashion, is the second most polluting industry in the world. For years, the industry has relied on petroleum-based fabrics that not only harmed the skin but also polluted rivers, lakes, and oceans.
With the rise of fast fashion, creativity, innovation, and ideas—once akin to art—have been sidelined. The focus shifted to endlessly increasing revenue, producing more, and ever-lower prices. But fashion isn’t about that. Fashion should be about creativity.
This is why fashion must embrace materials that are exclusive, natural, human-centered, and enduring. Today, a brand must be sustainable, which simply means using resources that don’t compromise future or leave the world in a worse condition than we found it.
Balancing creative genius with the demands of the market is tricky—what’s your secret?
Every brand has its own language, and every language shares the same goal: to connect with the consumer. The designer and their creativity act as the bridge between the brand and its audience. I believe that today, a brand must communicate a clear identity, a distinct value, and a unique language. This ensures the consumer understands the brand’s direction, values, and the rationale behind its approach in the market.
The challenges brands face today are often tied to a lack of clarity and vision. Consumers today are more informed and demanding than they were 20 years ago. To reach the end consumer, a different approach is needed—one that emphasises transparency, openly communicates the brand’s purpose, and introduces the people behind the project.
Consumers today need to understand all of this before they can truly trust a brand.
What’s the next big thing in fashion? And what skills does a next-gen talent need to thrive?
A return to the original mindset and methods that defined its creation: driven by passion, crafting unique pieces that are difficult to replicate, and offering customers true value—something that brings them satisfaction because it holds real meaning.
New talents should stop following trends, stop watching fashion shows, and stop being overly concerned with what others are doing. Instead, they should look inward, discover if they truly have a talent and passion, and understand where they want to direct that talent.
What untapped opportunities do you see for fresh talent entering the fashion game today?
Over the past three years, the industry has struggled with a disconnect—consumers are no longer resonating with the language many brands are using.
Now, a new talent who stays true to themselves has the chance to communicate directly, authentically, and transparently with their audience. It’s essential for consumers to understand the person behind the creations, and the passion driving their work.
Right now, there’s a strong desire to discover something fresh. Those with genuine talent have an incredible opportunity to rise, stand out, and carve their place in this vast market.
What’s your mic-drop message for fashion students hungry to leave their mark?
What I want to say to students is: be yourself. Always stay true to who you are and only share what you truly believe in. Don’t copy others—imitation won’t take you far in the long run.
Want to know more about our tutors? Find out how they can help boost your career in fashion here.
