In this paper we present appARel, a creative research project at the intersection of augmented reality, fashion, and performance art. appARel is a mobile augmented reality application that transforms otherwise ordinary garments with 3D animations and modifications. With appARel, entire fashion collections can be uploaded in a smartphone application, and “new looks” can be downloaded in a software update. The project will culminate in a performance art fashion show, scheduled for March 2013. appARel includes textile designs incorporating fiducial markers, garment designs that incorporate multiple markers with the human body, and iOS and Android apps that apply different augments, or “looks”, to a garment. We discuss our philosophy for combining computer-generated and physical objects; and share the challenges we encountered in applying fiduciary markers to the 3D curvatures of the human body.

Date Published: 4 March 2013
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 8649, The Engineering Reality of Virtual Reality 2013, 86490D (4 March 2013); doi: 10.1117/12.2001726

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8649:
The Engineering Reality of Virtual Reality 2013
Margaret Dolinsky; Ian E. McDowall, Editor(s)