We recently had the opportunity to speak with Fanrui Sun, a talented 3D artist and digital fashion designer who is at the forefront of blending fashion with cutting-edge technology. With an impressive academic background from LAFA Bunka International Fashion College and a Master’s degree in Digital Wear from the Royal College of Art, Fanrui has carved a niche in the digital fashion world, blending innovative technologies like AR, VR, and 3D printing into her designs. Over the past four years, she has contributed to groundbreaking digital fashion projects for renowned brands such as ikon1, Benz, Adidas, and Ports, while also gaining recognition from prestigious outlets including Vogue, Cosmo China, and China Daily.

As a member of the digital fashion brand Xtended-Identity and a selected designer for the luxury digital fashion platform SYKY Collective, Fanrui Sun’s work explores the boundaries of art, fashion, and technology. In our interview, we dive into her creative journey, exploring how her passion for digital innovation is reshaping fashion, the challenges she faces, and her vision for the future of digital design.

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How do you balance the business side of being an artist with your creative practice?

When facing a commercial project, I will think more about designing something that fits the brand's style and narrative, and add my own creativity on top of that. I think it's a unique challenge for me, it's like a kind of ‘proposition essay’, and I really enjoy the process because I think I can create richer work by thinking from different perspectives.

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How has collaboration with other artists enriched your creative work?

I really enjoy working with artists from different directions, it's one of the most effective ways to expand the boundaries of digital fashion. The collision of different inspirations and specialisations always brings us surprising sparks. For example, I worked with digital media artist Tong Niu on an interactive clothing project. We used sound visualisation to generate a series of digital prints that changed with the music and projected them onto the garments to complete a performance. We wanted to give more function to the medium of clothing, and in this way we tried to use it as a private space that could provide meditation and healing in the midst of urban life. It was an unforgettable experience that opened my eyes to the possibilities that digital technology can bring to fashion design.

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How do you define success in your creative career?

I used to have a fear of the rapidly iterating and updating digital technology, and a mixture of admiration and anxiety for the creative, talented designers that populate social media every day. After a long period of therapy, I don't really see it as a career goal that I have to accomplish now, I'm trying to slow down and use the creation itself more as a way to keep me curious, observant, and expressive of the world, and if I'm still creating ten years from now then I think I've been pretty successful.

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In what ways do you think digital fashion can serve as a platform for activism or social change, particularly regarding body positivity and inclusivity?

I believe that digital fashion can be a powerful tool for positive action and social change by promoting body positivity, inclusivity and sustainability. It can re-imagine fashion as a more equitable and inclusive space where everyone has the opportunity to participate and be represented. Digital fashion transcends the physical limitations of traditional fashion. It allows for the creation of designs that would be impossible or impractical in the real world, providing a more diverse and inclusive space and ecosystem for creativity and expression. At the same time, digital fashion platforms can facilitate the democratisation of fashion by providing space for different groups to showcase their work without the need for expensive production or distribution channels. This will lead to a more diverse and inclusive fashion environment where more voices and perspectives can be expressed.

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How do you see the role of artificial intelligence evolving in fashion design, and what ethical considerations do you believe are essential in its application?

Although AI brings transformative potential to fashion design, I think we should not ignore some of the issues that AI brings with it, such as morality, ethics, privacy issues and data security. The use of AI often involves collecting and analysing large amounts of personal data, and in order for AI algorithms to be more accurate, a large amount of data is often required for training, and our personal information could be used to train a biased AI system, which could further exacerbate social inequality. In the design industry, issues of intellectual property and originality arise as AI can generate designs based on existing work. It is important to address how AI-generated designs affect the rights of human designers and how creative works can be fairly attributed and protected. As beneficiaries of technological developments, we must also think about how to address these challenges.

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Reflecting on your journey, what has been the most surprising lesson you've learned about the relationship between digital identities and physical realities?

Reflecting on my journey, the most surprising lesson I’ve learned is how digital identities can profoundly influence and reshape our physical realities. Initially, I saw digital fashion as an extension of creativity, a space to explore ideas without the constraints of the physical world. However, I quickly realized that digital identities have the power to transform how we see ourselves and how others perceive us in the real world. The fluidity between these two worlds blurs the lines between who we are online and who we are offline, making digital fashion a powerful tool for personal expression and identity formation. This interconnectedness has taught me that our digital selves are not separate from our physical realities—they are deeply intertwined and can impact each other in profound and unexpected ways.

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How do you envision the future of fashion education evolving to incorporate digital design, and what skills do you think will be most crucial for aspiring designers?

I believe that the future of fashion education will continue to introduce courses in digital technology and the subject of fashion will be subdivided into more directions related to the digital realm, reflecting the changes that are taking place in the industry. Fashion carries the style of a period, and as fashion becomes more technological, educational programmes will need to evolve to offer courses that teach the latest digital tools and technologies, such as 3D modelling, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI). As technology opens up new possibilities, creative thinking and the ability to adapt these tools in innovative ways will become critical. This includes not only technical skills, but also a mindset that is open to experimenting with new ideas and approaches, which can lead to more possibilities for the future of fashion.

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What future collaborations or interdisciplinary projects are you most excited about, and how do you think they will push the boundaries of digital fashion?

I'm particularly excited about future collaborations that bring together different fields to explore new frontiers in digital fashion. One of the projects I'm looking forward to involves working with experts in 3D printing and material science to develop innovative, sustainable fashion pieces. By combining cutting-edge technology with creative design, we can create garments that are both visually striking and environmentally friendly. This kind of collaboration pushes the boundaries of what's possible in fashion, allowing us to rethink traditional materials and processes.

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