<h2 style="text-align: center"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/ftoerring/">Frida Tørring-Decap</a>, a recent graduate of the Masters in Industrial Design at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, was one of the participants selected for the CLO Incubation Program 2024/2025. With no formal background in fashion, Frida used CLO as a key tool in developing her thesis project: flotation trousers designed specifically for female fishers.</h2><hr><img src="https://storagefiles.clo-set.com/public/community/202509/7e8196cc740e4abe843efd85767e028b/images/7684071f515545b9b33e121ba464a3d3wivan_Dagny_Marie_Sand_Haarberg-1.jpg" alt="7684071f515545b9b33e121ba464a3d3" class="custom-image large-size" data-id="7684071f515545b9b33e121ba464a3d3" data-width="2500" data-height="1667"> Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into fashion design? My name is Frida Tørring-Decap. I just graduated from the Master's in Industrial Design at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO) in Norway. Before that, I studied Marketing Management and worked in that field for a couple of years before switching to design. I do not have a direct link to fashion, except for a sister-in-law who studied it. But I did a summer internship with a local clothing brand and have always been into cosplay, which later led me to make replica space suits.<h3>You were selected for the CLO Incubation Program 2024/2025. How did you hear about it? I found the program on CLO's Instagram. A PhD fellow at my school had introduced me to CLO, but I had not had the chance to explore it. Since I was considering soft goods for my thesis, I thought it was the perfect time to dive in.</h3><h3>Did you have any experience with CLO before the program? If so, how did it go? I had tried it once in an intro session at school, but the learning curve felt steep, so I did not continue at the time. </h3>What part of the program surprised you the most, and did it change how you see digital fashion tools like CLO? The CLO course was incredibly helpful. It gave a deep overview of the software, not just the basics. The Q&amp;A session with a CLO expert was also very valuable and helped me get into more advanced techniques.<img src="https://storagefiles.clo-set.com/public/community/202509/7e8196cc740e4abe843efd85767e028b/images/50e9553f53424745934d3f3308af3becimgonline-com-ua-twotoone-SRG79dvIiH2.png" alt="50e9553f53424745934d3f3308af3bec" class="custom-image large-size" data-id="50e9553f53424745934d3f3308af3bec" data-width="3000" data-height="2000"><h2 style="text-align: left">THESIS PROJECT: FLOTATION TROUSERS FOR FEMALE FISHERS</h2><h3>Female fishers are an unusual focus—what inspired you to design flotation trousers for them? It was suggested by my supervisor, Hilde Angelfoss. She was working on a collaboration with Aalesund Protective Wear and a group of undergrads. One of the proposed topics was workwear for women fishers. She felt it was too complex for a short project but ideal for a full thesis, so she encouraged me to take it on.</h3><h3>Was there a turning point when you realized CLO could transform your entire workflow? I planned to at least try CLO since it was my final project. Thanks to the CLO course and Q&amp;A, I quickly saw how much it could speed up my prototyping process, so I decided to go all in.</h3><h3>Can you take us through the journey from your field observations all the way to creating a working prototype in CLO? I started by visiting Aalesund Protective Wear to understand their workflow. I also went to a local secondary school with a fishing program, where I ran a drawing workshop and watched the students prepare for a trip. I followed up with interviews and surveys with professional female fishers.</h3>Designing the buoyancy parts was the toughest. I worked back and forth between foam prototypes and CLO, moving from 2D to 3D. I used a base pattern from Aalesund and adapted it for women, adding new features and flotation.Aalesund already used CLO, but not for garments with built-in buoyancy. During the Q&amp;A, we figured out how to simulate foam using the fill function. I also used CLO's fitting tools to make sure the design was neither too tight nor too loose. <img src="https://storagefiles.clo-set.com/public/community/202509/7e8196cc740e4abe843efd85767e028b/images/08dbf03b1f80489fbb528b8d4574b052CLO%20Standalone%20OnlineAuth%2015_03_2025%2012_31_41.png" alt="08dbf03b1f80489fbb528b8d4574b052" class="custom-image large-size" data-id="08dbf03b1f80489fbb528b8d4574b052" data-width="1920" data-height="1019"><img src="https://storagefiles.clo-set.com/public/community/202509/7e8196cc740e4abe843efd85767e028b/images/0eca26f817644cf9bc301e21958063fbCLO%20Standalone%20OnlineAuth%2008_04_2025%2010_59_22.png" alt="0eca26f817644cf9bc301e21958063fb" class="custom-image large-size" data-id="0eca26f817644cf9bc301e21958063fb" data-width="1920" data-height="1019">After printing the pattern, I made a test version using inexpensive fabric. It fit perfectly, just as CLO predicted, so I went ahead with the final prototype. After testing it with students, I made a few adjustments in CLO, printed new pieces, and sewed the final version. <img src="https://storagefiles.clo-set.com/public/community/202509/7e8196cc740e4abe843efd85767e028b/images/4430028cb8f04d69ae185d9ffec33104wivan_frida_toerring-decap-3.jpg" alt="4430028cb8f04d69ae185d9ffec33104" class="custom-image large-size" data-id="4430028cb8f04d69ae185d9ffec33104" data-width="2500" data-height="1875"><img src="https://storagefiles.clo-set.com/public/community/202509/7e8196cc740e4abe843efd85767e028b/images/eaa6897fc53f433db1fcb26c27db357bwivan_frida_toerring-decap-8.jpg" alt="eaa6897fc53f433db1fcb26c27db357b" class="custom-image large-size" data-id="eaa6897fc53f433db1fcb26c27db357b" data-width="3840" data-height="2160"><h3>Which CLO feature felt like a breakthrough in bringing your design to life? Definitely the fitting tools. They immediately showed where the fit was too tight and made it easy to adjust the pattern.</h3><h3>How did CLO help you push beyond what traditional prototyping could achieve? CLO saved a lot of time. Instead of spending days on physical iterations, I could test and adjust digitally. That gave me time to make two full physical prototypes instead of one.</h3>Were there any hidden gems or surprises you discovered while working with CLO? I was pleasantly surprised by the print layout. It automatically calculates the fabric used. I used to do it manually in Illustrator, so it saved me a lot of time.<img src="https://storagefiles.clo-set.com/public/community/202509/7e8196cc740e4abe843efd85767e028b/images/eae8fc6a39e0451aae2c87b35c6f0b69CLO%20Standalone%20OnlineAuth%2023_03_2025%2020_09_40%20%281%29.png" alt="eae8fc6a39e0451aae2c87b35c6f0b69" class="custom-image large-size" data-id="eae8fc6a39e0451aae2c87b35c6f0b69" data-width="1920" data-height="1019"><h2 style="text-align: left">REFLECTION &amp; IMPACT</h2>What’s the biggest insight about designing for women in safety gear that you gained? Designers need to be clear about who they are designing for. "Unisex" usually just means shrinking a men’s design, which is not ideal. Many women end up wearing men's workwear, which can be unsafe if it does not fit well. A good fit is not just comfort. It is a safety issue.&nbsp;<h3>For newcomers to CLO, what advice would have saved you time or frustration? The learning curve can feel steep but give yourself time to explore the software. I strongly recommend the official CLO courses. They might seem long, but understanding all the tools really pays off later.</h3><img src="https://storagefiles.clo-set.com/public/community/202509/7e8196cc740e4abe843efd85767e028b/images/852c3e402a9f41dcb2b887f1c4208a3awivan_frida_toerring-decap-1.jpg" alt="852c3e402a9f41dcb2b887f1c4208a3a" class="custom-image large-size" data-id="852c3e402a9f41dcb2b887f1c4208a3a" data-width="2500" data-height="1667">