Tag Archives: Black Dress Technology

NYC, NY, August 5, 2008 — Fashion Research Institute, Inc. (FRI), announces the hiring of Justin Clark-Casey as lead developer for its Black Dress Technology subsidiary. Beginning September 9, he will be responsible for managing all aspects of technology and development for Black Dress Technology.

Clark-Casey was most recently a Software Engineer in Information Management at IBM UK. In that position, he was part of the team responsible for the development of the IBM InfoSphere Master Data Management Server 8.0 and WebSphere Product Center 5.3. He is a core developer for OpenSim, a virtual world platform which can be used for creating and deploying 3D virtual environments compatible with the Second LifeTM protocol. Black Dress Technology’s apparel industry PLM solution is distinct because the apparel designer performs her work in a fully integrated enterprise virtual world based on the OpenSim platform.

Clark-Casey is pursuing a Masters of Science degree in Software Engineering from Oxford University, and has a Bachelors of Arts in Economics and Econometrics from the University of Kent. He writes about OpenSim development and related issues at justincc.wordpress.com. He is based in Hampshire, England.

“As one of the top contributors to OpenSim, Justin brings a deep understanding of the OpenSim platform and its capabilities, and the skills to adapt it to the specific needs of Black Dress Technology and our customers,” said Shenlei Winkler, FRI’s CEO. “The fact that we ourselves operate in a virtual environment means we can have the best talents working on our projects – whether they’re on the East Coast of the U.S., the South Coast of England, or anywhere else.”

Black Dress Technology is developing an end-to-end enterprise solution for virtual-worlds-based product design for the apparel industry in conjunction with IBM, its parent company’s technology partner. Users will ultimately be able to enter a virtual world specifically developed for apparel and accessory designers, receive training on the systems, and take a design from concept to prototype – with every step short of actual manufacturing being done virtually.

Fashion Research Institute conducts research into technology-based initiatives and develops emerging technologies to sweepingly overhaul traditional fashion industry practices and methodologies. FRI’s mission is to reduce the carbon footprint and change the environmental impact of the industry in ways that are sustainable, replicable, respectful of the practitioners, and meaningful for all stakeholders. FRI maintains Shengri-La, a five-island complex in Second LifeTM, and a nine-island OpenSim complex. FRI is an IBM business partner, and has been working closely with top IBM architects and researchers over the last year to develop its virtual-worlds-based product design solution.

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