ADA SOKÓŁ
3D ARTIST, CREATOR OF BESPOKE, DIGITALLY-CRAFTED LANDSCAPES
Ada Sokół
Today, the presence of 3D and digital realms in fashion is growing at a faster pace than ever. It is evolving into a hybrid form that merges the virtual and innovative with the tactile and traditional fabric of the industry. Young creatives are forming new waves and styles, as well as pivoting to multidisciplinary careers and novel professions. 3D artists, visual artists, digital sculptors, virtual experience designers... Fashion is venturing into new formats. Shows and campaigns can be very realistically staged in the past and far future. Many people, however, don’t find such art valuable – or even real. Yet professional 3D work requires time, patience, and a set of skills that make it a bespoke form of digital handcraft.
In a 3D world without gravity, material limitations or waste, creativity is given full reign. While the digital realm is often considered artificial, here is a designer who positions nature at the centre of its very practice. Ada Sokół’s work – often described as feminine, subtle, sensual and magical – takes us on a journey into far space and time. Across only eight years in the industry, Ada has developed her unique aesthetic and talent working for luxury brands and renowned companies worldwide. Her portfolio covers a range of exciting projects, including campaigns, mixed-media editorials, installations and talks. Her clients include KENZO, Tiffany & Co, Louis Vuitton, RIMOWA, Gentle Monster and Nike. Having worked with a lot of well-know fashion businesses, Ada says: “My big dream is to work for Prada.”
Ada’s upbringing was strongly influenced by her father – an architect, who was already working with 3D visualisations in the 90s. This naturally exposed her to unorthodox mediums of work and design from an early age. It was not until years later, however, that she herself turned to 3D language. She enrolled at an art school for fashion design, but eventually quit her studies. She turned to experiments with Blender and rendering, awakening the visual language exposed to her throughout her childhood.
“One of the first artists whose creations I got to know was Wojciech Siudmak – his posters for the Wrocław Opera, then his amazing illustrations for the Polish edition of the Dune book series. I’ve always been mesmerised by the worlds he creates in his works. He is big inspiration for me, even nowadays,” she recounts.
She is an excellent, intricately-detailed sketcher. Scans of initial sketches shared on her social media alongside her sleek rendered work display her solid 2D skills and tactile grounding to her 3D work. “For me, art direction is the most fascinating part of the creative process. I love to draw my designs by hand, explore the ideas I have for each project, and to plan out my work” she explains.
The source of her inspiration is nature, with its variety of water and forest inhabitants – all of which are usually incorporated into her art. It makes her work stand out even more against the typical sort of campaigns featuring celebrities or models. Ada puts characters from nature documentaries – such as endangered insects, stunning colourful mushrooms, amphibians, and rare plants – into the setting of a luxury fashion campaign.
“Luna(r). I had this project in mind for many years, but the technical difficulty of it postponed its creation. When it came to life digitally, I was extremely glad. Also, it was one of my first sophisticated personal projects,” replies Ada when asked about her favourite project so far.
Lunar is a lovely character. A fluffy moth, realised so perfectly that it looks completely believable and real. It brings to mind an animal influencer calling for butterfly and moth safeguarding. Initially, Lunar was to grace a silk scarf capsule collection, with the profits to be contributed to relevant charity organisations. Ada, however, had researched the topic of silk production and learned about the controversies surrounding how the material is sourced. Hence, the design saw the public light only in the digital form of an animation. In the near future, Ada hopes to find a more sustainable material to realise the project in a physical format.
Another interesting project that Ada recently worked on is a series of animations, realised as NFTs. “Gaia. This was also in my imagination for a long time, but various obstacles delayed my work on it. It is a series focusing on the role of women’s values in our ecosystem, so it is personally important to me,” she says. The Gaia project serves both as a visually-pleasing and thought-provoking experience. “Gaia is set up as an exploratory endeavour celebrating female strength and values in nature. It highlights three virtues – wisdom, love and health – which are symbolic keys in strengthening our relationship with nature. This all seems to have become lost in mainstream ethics.”
In 2020, Ada collaborated with the Polish jewellery concept brand Melancholia on a collection entitled “Malleable”. It draws on the concept of fluidity, exploring notions of adaptation, change and flexibility in its multiple facets of meaning. Hence the modular, fluid form of chains and monograms is designed to be adjustable, allowing for multiple ways of wearing. The choice of material was thoroughly considered, too – highly-malleable silver, paired with Keshi pearls of organic irregularity.
In the future, Ada aims to explore both the digital and tactile spheres. “I really want to explore AR and AI much more. Also something non-digital, tangible and more traditional, like sculpture,” she says. “Some organizations, such as MIT and Rhizome, are sources of inspiration, so I’d like to collaborate with them somehow.”
Asked about what she would tell people wishing to venture into the world of 3D design, she has one piece of advice. Considering her work and success, she has surely taken it to heart herself: “Create your own, recognisable style. It helps massively if you want to stand out among the crowd of other artists.”
“For a few months, I have been collaborating with a group of talented Polish women on my new, ecologically-friendly website,” Ada explains. Follow her Instagram for updates and check out her new website here.
All visuals courtesy of Ada Sokol