Rags2Riches: Computational Garment Reuse

We present the first algorithm to automatically compute sewing patterns for upcycling existing garments into new designs. Our algorithm takes as input two garment designs along with their corresponding sewing patterns and determines how to cut one of them to match the other by following garment reuse principles. Specifically, our algorithm favors the reuse of seams and hems present in the existing garment, thereby preserving the embedded value of these structural components and simplifying the fabrication of the new garment. Finding optimal reused pattern is computationally challenging because it involves both discrete and continuous quantities. Discrete decisions include the choice of existing panels to cut from and the choice of seams and hems to reuse. Continuous variables include the precise placement of the new panels along seams and hems, and potential deformations of these panels to maximize reuse. Our key idea for making this optimization tractable is quantizing the shape of garment panels. This allows us to frame the search for an optimal reused pattern as a discrete assignment problem, which we solve efficiently with an ILP solver. We showcase our proposed pipeline on several reuse examples, including comparisons with reused patterns crafted by a professional garment designer. Additionally, we manufacture a physical reused garment to demonstrate the practical effectiveness of our approach.