Circus Lab a creative director Julie Circus and artist Alèna Kotovskaya, long-time friends and now creative collaborators, combined their chosen mediums to transform Alèna’s paintings into wearable fashion. Julie is a fashion designer and 3D artist, and Alèna’s paintings, known for their dynamic colors and emotive qualities, are a key element in their artistic exploration. Alèna not only provides her artwork but also models the creations, adding a personal touch to the project. Their objective is to bridge the gap between art and fashion, making it accessible and wearable for everyone. Their collaboration showcases how art and technology can merge seamlessly with fashion.
Artwork by Alèna Kotovskaya
Digital fashion by Circus Lab
Words by Kelly Bernardo
Julie on her creative process…
At the very first step, the process of making a 3D garment is very similar to a real (physical) item of clothing making. As soon as I decide on the design and made a sketch on paper I start with patterns. … I work in the Clo3D program and try all virtual clothes on the Clo3D avatars (I call them models, they actually have names in the program).
Firstly I make all pieces of clothes in white virtual cotton, and fit them on an avatar until it looks perfect. … For this particular collection I left all items in white, [and] just changed virtual fabrics; for example, I took heavy cotton denim for a coat and polyester for a bomber. All fabrics have different qualities as in the real world. Then I used high-resolution pictures of Alena’s paintings and laid them over the ready garments.
Alena’s artworks immediately inspired me to the collection. I intentionally made a lot of body-length details, because my idea was to show her artworks in full size and even bigger than the original paintings. I wanted to create a feeling of being enveloped with the colors.
— Julie, Circus Lab
Painting as a future profession was not her choice initially. And after art school Alèna entered the faculty of furniture design. As it turns out it was her lucky break. Instead of cramming the academic subjects into students’ minds professors were helping to unlock the individual style and go beyond the established canons.
— Julie, Circus Lab
Alèna has been drawing for as long as she can remember. In childhood it was not difficult [for her] to imagine a fictional world of fantastic characters, and when she put them on paper they become almost alive. When I look at her work today it feels like she still has a vibrant eye on the world around as a child. All her artworks stay true to her childish naivete due to their liveliness, brightness and emotional coloring.
— Julie, Circus Lab
My favorite piece of the collection is the dress in flowers which I complemented with the skintight jumpsuit. A fluffy girly dress in combination with a piece of sportswear, flowers edged with geometric pattern – all together they make the model looks contemporary as an artist herself.
— Julie, Circus Lab
To boot…
Check out the Circus Lab Lovesick editorial featuring the 3D Valentine’s Day collection.
