Formzee: Designing Intelligence

Formzee is a design research project that asks a central question: “How does one design an intelligence?” Using fashion as its primary medium, the project explores the creative potential of artificial intelligence within the realms of computational aesthetics and hybrid material practices. Developed by designer Aliberk Senbas, Formzee investigates how AI systems can act not merely as tools but as generative collaborators—challenging conventional boundaries of authorship, materiality, and visual culture.

At the core of Formzee lies a suite of proprietary AI models trained on an extensively curated fashion dataset comprising over one million images. These datasets span a multitude of styles, references, and inspirations—including haute couture, historical garments, digital fashion, and speculative design. The outputs from these models are not treated as final products but rather as provocations—catalysts for design inquiry, narrative construction, and the broader question of intelligence design.

The project operates across both digital and physical domains. AI-generated designs inform a series of tangible artifacts produced through advanced fabrication methods such as 3D printing, resin casting, and experimental textiles. These prototypes serve as research outputs that challenge established notions of wearability, silhouette, and symbolic function. The resulting collections blur the line between fashion, sculpture, and speculative design—positioning garments as conceptual vessels for exploring identity, transformation, and the post-human body.

Formzee also leverages digital platforms as spaces for research dissemination and public engagement. The project has amassed millions of views across social media and was selected for the Leonardo.Ai Creator Program, which highlights pioneering work in generative creativity. In 2025, Formzee was named a Webby Honoree in the AI, Immersive & Games – Arts, Culture & Events category, underscoring its relevance at the intersection of design and emerging technology.

As a research initiative, Formzee prioritizes experimentation over commercialization—working toward a new framework for design intelligence in which creativity is co-authored by human intuition and machine learning.