The ‘Drawings, Illustrations and Patterns’ workshop took place at the IUAV University of Venice on 24 and 25 June 2025. Students from the Bachelor’s degree programme in Fashion Design and Multimedia Arts, as well as the Fashion Design and Communication and New Media majors, participated in the workshop. It was organised and curated by Alessandra Varisco, a PhD student at Iuav University of Venice, and Martina Ponzoni, a 3D fashion design specialist, founder, and director of d_archive.

Its goal was to explore the potential of digital tools for studying and reactivating fashion sources. Specifically, it focused on materials such as drawings, illustrations, and patterns that document design processes within fashion archives. The study of fashion archives tends to be garment-centric, which marginalises sources that testify to the various processes and authors involved in producing and designing garments. Participants were asked to identify the reference garment by studying these materials. Using image research, studying materials, and the designer’s fit or the historical period, the aim was to recreate the garment’s paper pattern to design a 3D copy using Clo3D software. Creating a digital copy of a garment involves a process of reflection and study similar to reverse engineering, for which knowledge and design skills are essential to interpret and reactivate archival materials.

The activity was carried out in groups of four. Each group selected a case study from the materials proposed by various museums, archives, and private collections.
( 1 ) Print matrices by Mariano Fortuny (c. 1930), available digitally from the Fortuny Museum in Venice;
( 2 ) Project drawings from the Krizia Collection (1968–1976) from the CSAC at the University of Parma;
( 3 ) Drawings and sketches by Roberto Capucci (1956–1966), shared digitally by the Roberto Capucci Foundation.
( 4 ) Marfy manuscript patterns (1980–1992) from the private collection of Sartoria Lucia Faccoli.
( 5 ) Sample books, fabrics, handkerchiefs, and textile design sheets (1977–2008) from the Lanificio Paoletti archive.