Digital prints have the wow factor
Karen Dacre
13 Oct 2009
That every fashion editor scribbled the phrase "digital prints" into her moleskin-covered notepad during this year's autumn/winter shows is a given.
Apparent on dresses, coats and trousers, this was a trend so bold it was impossible to miss.
Gallery: Digital print designs
But what does digital printing actually mean? In short it requires that designers use state-of-the-art software programs containing reams of characters and colourways to create designs that are propelled, via ink-jet printer, onto their chosen fabric.
The technique was pioneered by Brazilian/British design duo Basso & Brooke, who made history at the inaugural Fashion Fringe awards in 2004 as the first brand to create a collection that relied on digital prints throughout.
At this year's shows, Greek designer Marios Schwab's creations - a stunningly successful 3D-effect print on a series of crystal-embellished double-layered dresses - were a fitting advertisement for this most modern of techniques.
Peter Pilloto combined chunky embroidery with atmospheric prints to create sculpted skirts and dresses, while newcomer William Tempest went all out on detail.
Using digital photographs taken at Hampton Court Palace, Tempest was able to create prints so bold and full of movement that the simple fabric they were printed on morphed into shimmering velvet as the models walked down the catwalk.
Established designers such as John Galliano and Alexander McQueen do incorporate digital aspects into their work but it is very much a game for youngsters for now, with Schwab, Tempest and Sarah Brown's designer du jour, Erdem Moralioglu, ahead of the pack.
"Digital printing has levelled the playing field," says Philip Delamore, director of the Digital Studio at the London College of Fashion.
"Emerging designers can compete with large established houses without having to have the huge investment required with other techniques.
"Printing digitally means the cost of printing one or a thousand colours in an image is no different."
The high street is right behind this new generation of design. Versions of Erdem's digital florals are everywhere, while more progressive brands such as Topshop and ASOS are experimenting with their own techniques.
Whistles has a lovely selection of muted florals on soft silk dresses and tops, and Schwab fans can head to Oasis for a long-sleeve abstract-print mini-dress, clearly inspired by his collection.
Whether you opt for a smudgy leopard-skin, a trad floral or a kaleidoscopic that leaves your head in a spin, one thing is certain - the future of fashion is digital.
Gallery: Digital print designs
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/fashion/article-23755803-digital-prints-have-the-wow-factor.do
