Over 30 years ago was invited by the RCA ( Royal College of Art) asked me to give a presentation about how to use computers in design.
At that time I was a very early adopter of computer aided design as it was called then. I had invested in excess of the price of a house in buying two computers, tablets, printer and large monitors ( wow they were 19″ screens!) – and transformed our studio to be at the cutting edge of technology.
As I stood on the stage at the RCA I found myself inspired to tell the audience – not only how I designed clothing graphics and bags and how I could adapt and visualise so quickly and with greater flexibility than ever before ( with what in retrospect seems very primitive software now!) – but I diverged to tell them my dream of what the technology would lead too.
I waved my arms and said I dreamed of being able to ditch the mouse and draw directly into the computer screen, I dreamed that one day I could visualise in 3D – full size – how clothes would look on different sizes of models , I dreamed that I would be able to mould shapes and forms with my hands to “virtually” create forms and shapes of garments and bags in front of me ….
Well the hall was silent. As I walked of to muted polite applause I realised I had gone too far for them. They were still wondering how to simply draw simple garments, they were pondering the huge investment in equipment and training and struggling to see how this could be integrated into their businesses.
But I – just a individual designer with a vivid imagination had seen the future and grabbed it – and could see where this could go.
Well – we all know now what was to come to pass – (but we are still waiting for the ‘3D mouldable in real time’ products )- but who knows that may yet happen!
I am so pleased though to see that at very long last – while Apple has been napping and lapping up the profits in consumer goods that Microsoft has leapt ahead and created the first computer that has got me so excited since I bought my first computers all those years ago. Here is it. The Surface studio. We are just waiting for them to launch it in the UK and – yes – it will be “bye bye” Apple!
Guy Mathiot. November 2016.