Kapinua

This industry-integrated project, Modularity in Apparel Production, was developed in collaboration with Kapinua, a custom garment manufacturer based in Levin, New Zealand. The goal was to create a flexible system for producing and selling digitally printed apparel—ranging from one-off online orders to complex team uniforms with bespoke variations in fit, neckline, sleeve, and more.

Inspired by engineering principles of modularity, 67 products were developed as part of a scalable product architecture. Each style was digitally pattern-made, graded, and systematised to allow mass customisation while maintaining efficiency. Over a dozen file types were produced per item, including plotable patterns, thumbnails, object files, and rendered images.

The project involved working closely with the Kapinua team to understand their production workflows, client needs, and existing systems—ensuring solutions were not only innovative but implementable. This experience strengthened skills in digital patternmaking, systems thinking, and client-oriented design for real-world manufacturing contexts.