Amin Farah is an Italian 3D artist, AD, and founder of THEBLACKLAB with a degree in product design and a master in design management at the Poliarte design academy of Ancona, Italy. He's very passionate about 3D art and is specialized in the 3D digital fashion field working with many Italian brands. His goal is to translate the entire fashion experience in the 3D world relying on continuous research and development derived from his immense passion for 3D art.
Hey Amin! Can you introduce yourself and tell us more about your artwork and Black Lab studio? How did you get started making art? How does your art tie into your identity?
I’m Amin Farah 3d artist and founder of TheBlackLab a CGI driven digital studio which creates contents characterized by a strong artistic component. or at least it is so now. My career started with technical videos and illustrative renderings of all kinds, from product to architectural, from 3d motion graphics to the creation of ADV for small and medium-sized businesses.
My path has been outlined by a strong passion for the 3d world and by continuous research and development, both on the technical and on the stylistic side. My goal is to create a unique style, not so much in the final aesthetic result but in my method of approaching concepts and workflows.
What inspires you to create digital fashion? What messages are you trying to express with your style?
Fashion, in my opinion, is the maximum expression of style, experimentation, and innovation. Fashion is art expressed on a dress, it's synchronized with the evolution of society.
Fashion is characterized by infinite sources of inspiration and what I try to express through my style is to create a further source of inspiration, 3d that inspires fashion to create new ideas, new combinations under the name of digital fashion.
How do you think digital fashion will be integrated with society in the future? How do you want your audience to interact with and interpret your designs?
With any technological innovation, there is a time and a place for it to be integrated in a capillary way. The phenomenon of exclusivity in the form of NFT is the medium that is allowing this creative branch to express itself and take its place in the Olympus of innovative arts. Surely digital fashion is an excellent resource on the production side!
Beyond the creative possibilities, being able to use digital tools during the concept and prototyping tailoring phase is certainly a great advantage in terms of time, costs but above all for the environmental impact. given that the process is completely digital and no raw materials are exploited that could be discarded during the experimentation.
My concepts express different aspects of this new creative current.Some artworks play on the unusual and sometimes impossible shape and texture of the fabrics, others try to imitate reality. Still, others tell stories. like those produced for this event, the future of Fashion.Surely all the concepts are united by a single question that triggers my thinking. the question is WHAT IF...
Please tell us about the 3 pieces that you minted on Portion. What was the inspiration behind this creative process?
To answer the question: what is the future of digital fashion? I wanted to travel with my mind and imagine a distant future, a future where comfort has reached its peak, a world where clothes no longer serve to protect the body from heat and cold, a world where even nudity in some ways does not, it's more of a taboo.
An unbridled society, where technological development is so unbridled that it needs continuous change.
In this social context I introduced the concept of the Holocouture, a stylistic current that exploits the immediacy of holographic projections to create garments of light, unrelated to any limit of shape and material.
I created 3D artworks that summarize the concept applied to the world of Haute couture, Pret’a portè and Streetwear.
What is the difference in approach when creating a promotional piece with brand partners such as Adidas, versus artistically led pieces such as the collection that you’ve minted on Portion?
The substantial difference is given by the client, when I work with brands I become a designer and through my technical and creative experience I try to filter the request and generate the ideal concept that conveys the brand message. When I make art the dynamics are similar, because in that case my client is my subconscious.
What tools and software do you use? How long does it take you to craft a piece? Do you start with a clear vision, or does a piece take shape as you work?
I use Cinema 4d as main software, for the drawings I always start from a Daz 3d Studio base, fabrics and simulations are made by marvelous designers. graphics and textures using Photoshop and Substance painter.
I spend most of my time focused on the concept.I like to take time to get a clear idea of the message and the form of expression. We can therefore say that I start with a clear idea at the beginning without fossilizing myself. the software cooperate to give me unexpected results, through simulations and generative geometries. through 3d software I can create an artwork that has 2 souls, mine and that of the technological medium, if it had one.
I have refined my technical workflow so much that sometimes I can create a piece in 24 hours, but in those cases 90% of the creative process has already happened in my head!
When did you get involved in the NFT space? How do you think NFTs can change the creative landscape?
My first NFT platform was SuperRare, in fact I got to know this world even before it exploded. While people were wondering about the meaning of a digital image, I had already sold my first artwork.
Many speak of NFT as a means of revenge for the entire creative system. In part, it was – in an initial phase for the art sector. Unfortunately, after the initial boom, the art market has consolidated again, giving space to a select few as it has always been.
The beauty is that more and more curated galleries are emerging, specializing in specific themes. NFT Technology itself is a fantastic medium that accelerates the visibility and opportunities for any artist to make their voices heard.
What are some of your observations about the emerging behaviors in the digital fashion NFT space and what do you see as next opportunities for this industry?
If the first NFT boom was in art, I'm sure the second will be in Crypto Fashion!
The key to this change in my opinion is a universal file format with multiple outputs, such as the format for AR.usdz. A single protocol that allows the 3d artist to generate a fashion garment that can be used as a skin for gaming platforms and AR VR visualization...all validated by the Blockchain.
I have the feeling that it won't be long before Epic Games releases a protocol that can allow everyone, brands and people to create custom garments for Fortnite and maybe sell them, generating a new market. The Crypto Fashion.
Check out TheBlackLabstudio's NFT Collection on Portion.
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