Two days ago, Burberry’s social media profile released an advertising piece that caught our attention. At first glance, it appeared to be an animation created with needle and thread. Upon looking into Huw Messie, the animator behind the project, we discovered that this isn’t his first collaboration with the fashion world. Furthermore, he is part of the SJA Fellowship, a program named after Steve Jobs that encourages visionary creatives to bring their ideas to life in the tech sphere and beyond. Let’s dive deeper into Messie’s work, algorithmic machine embroidery, and how this practice can be applied in advertising to create unique content.
Visualizza questo post su Instagram
Huw Messie’s website features not only the piece created for Burberry but also personal projects and the Messie x Hermès Leather Takeover from 2022. This content closely resembles the recent work for the British brand, following a format Messie himself developed, called Bizarre Fabrications. He describes it as «special observations of curiously occupied agents of production. Procedurally embroidered stop-motion animation,» as stated on his site.
What Is Algorithmic Machine Embroidery?
Algorithmic machine embroidery can be defined as a process where embroidery patterns are generated through algorithms and then executed by an embroidery machine. This method merges computational design with traditional textile techniques, enabling the creation of intricate, highly precise, and often unconventional patterns that are difficult to achieve manually. Using programming languages or generative design tools, as Messie does, allows for the production of unique, dynamic, and scalable designs tailored to specific artistic or functional objectives.
This technique belongs to our present but also reveals the potential of the future. Collaborations with top-tier brands like Hermès and Burberry highlight the growing interest in innovative methods that will likely become even more prominent in the future. And who knows—these techniques might soon extend beyond the realm of advertising.
