Introduction
The 3D Retail Coalition (3DRC) Grand Challenge, established in 2018, is an annual competition that recognises innovators leveraging 3D technology to transform the retail and apparel industry. Organised in collaboration with the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE), PI Apparel and Kalypso, the challenge provides a platform for start-ups, researchers, and technology pioneers to showcase solutions that enhance digital product creation, automation, and consumer experiences. The challenge has played a crucial role in accelerating industry adoption of 3D, offering winners visibility, mentorship, and credibility to scale their innovations.
As we head into its 7th year, in this series we interview past winners and explore where they were then, where they are today, and how the challenge helped them scale for success.
Note: Following a few requests, the submission deadline for 2025 has been extended to 17 April 2025
2023 Grand Challenge Winner – Tech Start-Up
Katy Schildmeyer is the Founder of Apotheosis and Chief Innovation & Research Director at Design Cycle Solutions, where she brings together decades of hands-on experience in technical design, biomechanics, and apparel standards to tackle one of the fashion industry’s most complex challenges: digital fit.
Having entered the industry at just 16, Katy has worked across nearly every role in the design and retail cycle, from textile testing and pattern making to merchandising and innovation. Her work today reflects a deep understanding of the apparel product lifecycle and a passion for improving it through purpose-driven tools and experimentation.
Apotheosis won the 3DRC Grand Challenge in 2023 for its anatomically intelligent, poseable avatar system, a solution designed to reflect real bodies in motion. Built with advanced weighting, soft tissue responsiveness, and motion-informed grading, the tool enables designers to simulate and test fit across a range of use cases, from mass production to highly personalized garments.
By rethinking the avatar from the inside out, Katy and her team are helping reshape how the industry approaches sizing, standardization, and the human body in digital spaces.
🎥 Watch the full video below!
Don’t have time to watch the full video? Scroll down for a summary of key takeaways and noteworthy quotes.
🔑 Key Takeaways
🦴 1. Rethinking the rig
Katy’s innovation begins where many digital fit tools fall short: the bones. Apotheosis re-engineers avatar structures to reflect how bodies actually move and change, incorporating poseable joints, soft tissue dynamics, and posture responsiveness. As Katy put it: “If the base body is wrong, everything built on top will be too.”
🧍♀️ 2. Cosmetic vs. Non-Cosmetic Avatars: Aligning the Team
In user testing, Katy observed how cosmetic avatars often diverted attention from the garment to the body itself, especially for creatives and merchandisers. To keep teams aligned, Apotheosis offers both cosmetic and stripped-back forms, allowing technical designers to focus on what matters most: evaluating fit with clarity and precision.
🧰 3. Interoperability and Real-World Versatility
Apotheosis is agnostic by design, compatible with major 3D platforms like CLO, Style3D, and Browzwear, and flexible enough to simulate everything from compression garments to seated postures for motocross wear. It also supports API integrations, enabling designers to seamlessly plug it into existing workflows and toolchains.
🧠 4. Reframing Fit as Technical, Emotional and Ethical
Katy challenges brands to rethink not just how they fit garments, but who they fit them for. Rather than starting with a size 2 fit model, she advocates designing around your actual target market, whether that’s a size 14 customer or an elderly wearer. It’s about designing for truth, not just trends.
📏 5. Reuniting Pattern Logic and Avatar Design
While parametric grading tools continue to evolve, they often fall short when pattern logic is overlooked. Apotheosis bridges that gap with over 580 measurement points and 376 grading landmarks, allowing users to test garments with a pattern-maker’s eye, grounded in real-world apparel construction knowledge.
🏆 6. The 3DRC Grand Challenge Sparked Confidence and Community
Winning the 2023 3DRC Grand Challenge – Tech Start-up, gave Katy not just visibility, but validation. “I wasn’t just a voice in the void anymore,” she reflects. The challenge helped crystallise her mission, open up vital industry conversations, and connect with others also pushing for progress in digital product creation. “You’re placing your idea in space and time, and that’s how it becomes real.”
🗣️ Noteworthy Quotes
🦴 On Digital Fit & Avatar Accuracy
“If our base body is wrong consistently, then anything we do in 3D is going to have a big problem.”
“Bones carry skin. Skin carries fabric. If your bone structure is off, your fit will never be right.”
“We can fit corsets, test pelvic tilt, simulate compression — because this is how real bodies behave.”
🧠 On Rethinking Design Mindsets
“If your target market is a size 14, start there. Make the design shine for that person first — not a model.”
“Fit is not just technical, it’s psychological. People want to feel seen in the products they buy.”
“We need to stop designing clothing and start designing for humans.”
🎭 On Cosmetic vs. Non-Cosmetic Avatars
“Teams would get distracted by how the avatar looked — they’d start dressing up the model instead of reviewing the fit.”
“The avatar isn’t there to be judged; it’s a tool. But it also shows us how deep our biases around bodies run.”
🧩 On Interoperability & Workflow Integration
“We didn’t want to build another closed system. Designers should be able to work with whatever tools they already use.”
“You can design for a dancer, a motorcyclist, or an elderly person with a walker, and it still fits into your pipeline.”
📏 On Grading & Measurement Logic
“Parametric grading often fails because it doesn’t understand the logic behind patterns. We do.”
“We use 580 measurement points and 376 grading landmarks, not because it’s complex, but because it’s accurate.”
🏆 On the 3DRC Grand Challenge Experience
“I wasn’t just a voice shouting into the void. The challenge helped me find a tribe that also wants change.”
“It validated not just the tool, but the need for it. It gave us momentum and a platform to keep building.”
“Even if you don’t win, entering the challenge puts your idea into space and time. That’s how things become real.”
The 2025 Grand Challenge is now LIVE!
The 7th Annual 3DRC Grand Challenge is back with a bold new theme for 2025: harnessing the transformative power of data-driven AI and 3D technology to revolutionize the product development lifecycle.
This year, we invite visionary minds to push the boundaries of innovation and reimagine how retailers and brands discover, design, make, and sell products!
Note: Following a few requests, the submission deadline for 2025 has been extended to 17 April 2025
Want to know more? Click on the image below…
