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Lilach Porges, an Israeli fashion designer, brings together her academic background in architecture, computer expertise, and passion for sustainability to create a unique blend of fashion and technology. Using parametric design methods, she explores innovative ways to develop textiles and garments while focusing on more sustainable production practices for the future of fashion. Her ultimate goal is to merge the worlds of science, engineering, and fashion to empower women.

Her first major  collection, "Dress Code," showcases the seamless integration of technology and fashion. Employing 3D printing techniques, she programmed a robotic arm to create garments through three different methods: Random, Accurate, and Large-Scale, all utilizing sustainable materials. Inspired by her technological background, this collection explores the captivating aesthetics, amazing possibilities, and current boundaries of 3D printing technology. Porges goes beyond conventional approaches such as pattern making and fabric sewing, embracing the artistry of software translated into wearable objects, achieved through both manual and robotic 3D printing techniques.

Please tell us about the concept of this collection. When did you first have ideas for it?

This collection explores the idea of 3D printing garments with robotic arms. I was introduced to this technology during my second and third years of my bachelor's in architecture and immediately started thinking about how to use this for making fashion. I wanted to explore the advantages of a robotic arm over a 3d printer in printing garments. However, I couldn't start working on this before I moved to New York and began the Fashion Institute of Technology MFA program. During these two years of Fashion Design at FIT, I used three methods for printing garments: accurate, random, and large-scale, besides 3D printing with a 3D pen by hand, fabric techniques, and a 3D printer.

What inspired you?

I was inspired by computer science, code, software engineering, and computer elements I took from a computer. I found the beauty in the shapes and colors of the code. I had a lot of conversations with my friends working in the fields of science and technology to understand this world better.

How did your design career start?

I continued the ideas I had as my business plan at FIT for a startup brand named PROCODE_DRESS. The plan is to continue the robotic-fashion research I started as my thesis and to start producing a ready-to-wear fashion collection. I'm starting with the seed round search for investors to purchase the equipment I need for the robotic-fashion research and start the ready-to-wear collection production.

What are your dream and goal?

I aim to reduce the labor work in making garments by printing them with robotic arms from sustainable materials. Reducing sweatshops in the fashion industry by factories with technology that allows better work conditions and making garments that can be easily recycled to reduce the amount of fabric waste in the world are my most precious dreams.