DittoForm: The Company That Is Changing Fittings Forever
After a five month hiatus, film and TV productions are starting back up again. With union-mandated health and safety measures in place (less costume changes, less background actors, and additional trailers to name a few), Costume Designers and their department Supervisors are looking for the safest, most efficient ways to get back to work. At the top of the list of concerns is how to safely fit actors. Thankfully, there’s a company to offers a safe solution.
DittoForm is a 3D design company that manufactures dress forms patterned precisely on their users' bodies. Seamstresses, hobbyists and cosplayers have been ordering the forms for years. And the company is seeing a newfound interest from Costume Designers and Stylists in Hollywood. I spoke to DittoForm owner Carol Huls about her trending 3D dress forms and how she believes the product could change fittings forever.
What is the background story on DittoForm?
In 2015, I took some time off to figure out my next steps. During that time, I was a tour guide in DC, picking up other jobs as they came along. Allison Lince-Bentley, a woman who owned a studio in Michigan, needed an executive assistant. At the time that I took the job, she and her business partner Mary Flynn were working on the prototype for DittoForm. And in 2018, once the company was up and running, Allison and Mary sold it to me. After that, I was able to expand with the introduction of 3D technology and updated options for fabric cover. I moved the base of DittoForm Michigan LLC to Detroit, which is the perfect city for growing and supporting entrepreneurs in a clothing and fashion-related manufacturing business. The energy here is amazing.
What is the process for ordering/receiving each form?
We have 3D scanners in Detroit and Los Angeles (and an ability to scan in Chicago and Atlanta). The body imaging scans are quick and easy, though I usually travel to assist in the process. We use the same Styku technology found in some fitness centers. Once the scan is done, the manufacturing process starts. Designers can expect a turnaround job in 4 weeks normally. Due to pandemic shipping delays, turnaround is 6 to 8 weeks.
What materials are you using? Is it sustainable/eco-friendly?
Since we have to use foam that can be carved with a machine, we use a polyethylene-type plastic similar to what’s used in swimming floats. It’s not biodegradable, but lasts longer due to that fact. We recycle and donate all leftover foam to Arts + Scraps in Michigan.
How much of an increase in orders from film/TV productions since the pandemic?
Up until COVID, people didn’t see the financial benefit. We were used to working with independent seamstresses and Broadway productions, which both are quite different from the “hurry up and wait” nature of television and film. COVID-19 changed things. Designers are starting to see the benefit of using a Ditto Form and the value of its price point ($1,500 per custom form).
What are you most looking forward to as your business continues to grow?
I have established relationships with technology consultants, master craftsmen and women, clothing manufacturers and fashion designers, as well as experienced sewers and instructors. It is an exciting time of innovation and expansion for DittoForm. As we grow into other markets, we’re finding new communities that need the DittoForm solution. We’re creating forms for members of the American Sewing Guild, CosPlay and I believe the options are limitless in TV and film.
I feel amazingly blessed to operate a company where my creative abilities are used in tandem with my organizational skills, where my interest in learning and love of people make every day a joy. When you are making custom dress forms, you quickly learn what you actually already knew: Each and every person is different. No one is standard. And that is absolutely beautiful.
***This article was also published in Style + Lead Magazine.
