I just came out with my NEW Winter 2014 line today (Check it out at KoalaArtAndDesign.com). In honor of its release, I thought it might be fun to show how one of the new dresses was created! 

My first steps are usual to any art process; I begin with the concept sketch phrase (I usually do mine on the computer even if the piece is meant to be created in real life). When I am designing dresses I take important note of the positioning of shapes, angles and other elements that will lead to a design accenting the body. My Bio Dress is a great example.

In the case of my Bio Dress the original design was created using acrylic paint on canvas. Because I wanted my design to be similar on both sides, I painted half of the dress to later be mirrored to create full design.

Once I completed my half panel painting I set up my photo booth and photographed the painting at high resolution. I then brought the photo into photoshop to ensure colors were correct and glares from the paint reduced. Once I deemed the piece ready I duplicated my art layer and mirrored it.

The next step was to match the pieces together, further clean up and fix any visible information that would give away the design being perfectly mirrored. Usually when I am mirroring an image I erase certain parts in an irregular fashion to ensure that the seams of the piece are not easy to find. Once this is complete, I am able to easily match up the pieces and create a design that looks identical on both sides.

NOW THE FUN PART! The best part of the entire conceptual process is using my custom made Dress Template. With this I can insert any of my designs and instantly see how they will look in real life! If they pass the Dress Template tests, they get sent into production!

Production is actually the part of the process that takes the longest. Every dress is manufactured and created in the USA right down to the fabric printing. These pieces employ and support American workers too, so support your country and buy a dress ;) (assuming you're American)! I only use extremely high quality and heavy grade Polyester Spandex; which although it is pricey to work with, the result is unbeatable quality and gorgeous prints. This isn't your normal spandex dress, this fabric is fabulous!