Imagine being able to combine the vintage charm of a 1960s fabric with the modern geometry of a contemporary pattern. Or transferring the delicacy of ancient lace onto an urban texture. Science fiction? No, it's what we made possible by collaborating with Fondazione Fashion Research Italy (FFRI).
A Marriage Between Tradition and Innovation
When FFRI contacted us, they had a clear vision: enhance the heritage of Made in Italy through artificial intelligence. It wasn't just about digitalizing an archive, but creating a tool that would allow designers to dialogue with fashion history, blending it with the infinite possibilities of AI.
The brief was as fascinating as it was challenging: how do you preserve the artisanal soul of Italian textiles while embracing the most advanced technology?
Design Thinking: When Function Meets Emotion
The Interface You Don't Expect
AI tools are often cold, technical, intimidating. We wanted the opposite. We designed an experience that would make users feel like they're browsing a virtual atelier, not using software.
The homepage welcomes with a clean and functional layout: the focus is entirely on fabrics, patterns, colors. No cluttered interfaces or confusing buttons. Just what's strictly necessary to make the content shine.
The Magic Mix: Two Images, Infinite Possibilities
The real magic happens in the generation and blend section. Here we created an intuitive interface: you select two patterns from FFRI's vast archive with a simple click, and the AI generates new proposals that maintain the essence of both original fabrics.
But it's not just about overlaying two images. Our algorithm understands the distinctive characteristics of each pattern – weave density, chromatic relationships, recurring geometries – and reinterprets them in a contemporary key.
Search That Becomes Discovery
We completely rethought the concept of archive searching. Instead of classic filters by color or historical period, we introduced intelligent visual search: upload a reference image and the system finds similar patterns, not just aesthetically but also conceptually.
It's like having a textile sommelier who understands not only what you're looking for, but also what you might love without knowing it yet.
Technology That Becomes Transparent
NextJS: The Choice for Performance and User Experience
For the frontend we focused on NextJS with TypeScript, a combo that allows us to optimally manage high-resolution images (fundamental in fashion) and offer a smooth experience even with archives of thousands of patterns.
Tailwind CSS gave us the flexibility to create a coherent but versatile design system, perfect for adapting to different devices without ever losing sight of elegance.
TensorflowJS: AI Running in the Browser
One of the most interesting challenges was implementing style transfer directly in the browser. Using TensorflowJS with pre-trained models, we managed to run style transfer algorithms without having to send sensitive data to external servers.
The result? Absolute privacy for designers working on confidential collections and real-time performance that makes the experience smooth and engaging.
DALL-E Integration: When Imagination Has No Limits
For generating new concepts we integrated OpenAI DALL-E APIs, allowing users to describe their vision in words and see it take shape. But we didn't stop there: we created a system that combines textual prompts with the chromatic and stylistic characteristics of existing patterns in the archive.
The Details That Make the Difference
An Interface That Speaks Fashion Language
We curated every visual aspect to reflect the elegance of the textile world, from proportions reminiscent of sartorial cuts to color palettes that enhance original patterns. The goal was to create a digital environment where designers would feel at home.
Performance Optimized for Giant Archives
Managing thousands of high-resolution images is no joke. We implemented intelligent lazy loading, optimized compression and strategic caching to guarantee loading times always under 2 seconds, even with slow connections.
The Concrete Impact
This tool isn't just a tech demo: it's already transforming the workflow of designers and researchers at FFRI. We've seen creatives discover unexpected connections between patterns from different eras, fashion startups use the archive to find sustainable inspiration, and academic researchers deepen their understanding of Italian textile evolution.
The greatest satisfaction? Seeing a designer smile when they discover a combination they had never imagined, or hearing the enthusiasm of a fashion student who finds the perfect inspiration for their thesis.
Want to know more about how we're revolutionizing the fashion world through AI? Tell us about your project: at Quinck we don't just develop technology, we create experiences that inspire.
Design is not just what it looks and feels like. Design is how it works. And we make sure it works beautifully.