Necessities of Life: Food, Clothing and Shelter Week
Fashion COUTURE “We are ALL Designers!!!”
EXPO 2025 Thematic Project “Invigorating Lives” (Producer NAKAJIMA Sachiko)
We interpret the "democratization of creativity" advocated by EXPO theme producer Sachiko Nakajima as the "democratization of fashion." Recently, the fashion industry has been shifting from mass consumption to products that meet individual needs. The enjoyment of fashion will be deepened if individuals can easily design and produce products that also meet the SDGs. We hope that you will experience a new creative consumption lifestyle through this web app, which aims to revitalize the industry.
Recorded video available
Discussion
- Sustainable fashion
- Fashion creativity
| Transmission of simultaneous interpretation | Provided |
|---|---|
| Language of interpretation | Japanese and English |
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Signature Programme
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Time and
Date of
the event -
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2025.06.06[Fri]
14:30 ~ 16:30
(Venue Open 14:15)
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- Venue
- Pavilion
- Playground of Lives: Jellyfish Pavilion
Programme details
*Subtitles: Choose “Subtitles/CC” in the “Settings” (gear
icon) at the bottom right of the YouTube video.
*Subtitles may not show with multiple languages or overlapping
audio.
Design your own one-of-a-kind fashion goods digitally,
simulate the finished product, and then actually manufacture
it. This is the entire process that we will be putting into
practice.
First, choose your favorite 3D item on the app, and arrange it
while enlarging, reducing, rotating, and moving the
"color, pattern, logo, etc.". After checking the
finished product that you could never have imagined before,
you can actually move on to manufacturing. This time, we will
introduce items that can be created on the spot. "Color,
pattern, and logo" can also be created using linked
emotion AI software. By showing each other their work and
evaluating each other's work, creators can understand
each other's creativity, collaboration, and individual
thoughts, which is in line with the philosophy of the Theme
Pavilion.
*We would hold several workshops within these 2 hours.
Reports
【Reflection】
We conducted a workshop using the "COUTURE" app,
which allows intuitive item design, as an event where
participants could actually experience the concept of
"democratization of creativity" advocated by the
"Playground of Life: Jellyfish Pavilion."
In this workshop, we utilized various materials including the
Jellyfish Pavilion's symbol mark, jellyfish images
created by children and designers, and video footage of
"Kakumei" (a concept where mathematics, life, and
art intersect). Participants were able to design their own
tote bags and Jellyfish Pavilion uniforms. For the tote bags
in particular, we used RICOH's garment printer to print
the designed patterns directly onto the bags, which were then
presented as gifts to 14 participants among the many
attendees..
Most participants came as families or groups, and it was
impressive to see them gathered around the pre-prepared tablet
devices working together. The fact that each participant was
able to enjoy creating diverse and unique designs truly
represents the realization of the "democratization of
creativity" concept.
However, several areas for improvement also became apparent.
Since many participants were young children, there were
initially some moments of confusion when operating the tablet
devices and the app. We projected slides explaining the
operation methods onto a 60-inch monitor, but due to the
various sounds filling the venue, the effectiveness was
limited. As a result, the most important role became having
attending staff provide individual explanations to each
participant. When we tried continuously projecting actual
operation screen videos, this seemed to be more helpful to
participants than the slides.
Additionally, it was unfortunate that functions such as using
photos taken on the spot as design patterns, extracting images
from the "Kakumei" videos prepared for this workshop
to use as patterns, and the coloring function for the
Jellyfish Pavilion symbol were only utilized by few
participants due to their complex operations. Furthermore,
since printing on tote bags took considerable time, the
cumbersome process of having participants return later to
collect their items is another point we would like to improve.
We also received requests from participants who wanted to use
their own hand-drawn designs, but this was not possible with
the current "COUTURE" system as it would require
very time-consuming processes, which remains a challenge to
address.
There were also issues that the current version of
"COUTURE" was not yet able to address. What I felt
most this time was the strong desire to create something
original from scratch that was unique to each individual. This
is truly a democratization of creativity, and I felt that this
event will lead to each and every one of us "designing a
future society where life shines." Thank you very
much.
【Post EXPO Initiatives】
In this workshop, we implemented a project where unrestricted
users, including groups and young children who had not been
sufficiently considered previously, actually used the
"COUTURE" app and printed their designs on tote bags
on-site as gifts. Through this initiative, we gained
confidence in realizing the "democratization of
creativity," while also identifying several challenges
for further practical implementation.
Based on this experience, we are currently focusing on the
following improvements. First, we are advancing improvements
to the screen display and operation methods of the
"COUTURE" app for young children, aiming to create
an environment where intuitive operation is possible
regardless of age. Additionally, we are actively developing a
function to easily import hand-drawn patterns, which was
highly requested by participants. We are also conducting
detailed examination and refinement of various elements
required in actual operational settings, such as standardizing
troubleshooting procedures during printing work, shortening
processing time, and enabling simultaneous processing.
Furthermore, as part of our future development, we are
considering strengthening collaboration with educational
institutions and local communities. We plan to explore the
potential applications of the "COUTURE" app in
diverse settings, such as supporting creative activities in
school education, providing hands-on experience opportunities
at local events, and utilizing it for recreation in elderly
care facilities. We are planning to develop functions and
support systems optimized for each environment.
Through these comprehensive improvements, we will evolve the
"COUTURE" app into a truly universal tool that
everyone can use, creating an environment where all people can
intuitively and freely design items for their own use or as
gifts for loved ones. We plan to continue our activities from
both technical improvement and social implementation
perspectives toward the further spread of the
"democratization of creativity.
Cast
Moderator
NAKAJIMA Sachiko
Thematic Project ”Invigorating Lives" (Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition)
Musician, a mathematics researcher, and a STEAM Educator. She is also CEO of steAm, Inc.,the representative director of steAm BAND Association and a thematic project producer of Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, Japan. She also serves as a STEM Girls Ambassador, Cabinet Office. She won the gold medal as the first Japanese woman in the International Mathematical Olympiad. She passionately conducts research on art and technology as well as music, mathematics, and education. Winner of 2025 Power Of Radiance Award by Cle deau Peau Beaute (Shiseido).
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©COUTURE DIGITALE LTD.
Morita Nobufumi
COUTURE DIGITALE LTD.
CEO of Couture Digital Inc. President and CEO of
Digital Fashion Inc. Representative Director of the
Digital Fashion Creators Association (general
incorporated association)
Director of Solve Inc. Visiting professor at Kwansei
Gakuin University. Japan representative expert at ISO
TC133. Committee member of the Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry's Committee on the Future of
Fashion, etc.
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Co-organiser
COUTURE DIGITALE LTD.
Necessities of Life: Food, Clothing and Shelter Week
Fashion COUTURE “We are ALL Designers!!!”
We interpret the "democratization of creativity" advocated by EXPO theme producer Sachiko Nakajima as the "democratization of fashion." Recently, the fashion industry has been shifting from mass consumption to products that meet individual needs. The enjoyment of fashion will be deepened if individuals can easily design and produce products that also meet the SDGs. We hope that you will experience a new creative consumption lifestyle through this web app, which aims to revitalize the industry.
-
2025.06.06[Fri]
14:30~16:30
(Venue Open 14:15)
- Pavilion
©steAm Inc. & Tetsuo Kobori Architects All Rights Reserved
OTHER PROGRAM
Necessities of Life: Food, Clothing and Shelter Week
