MACEL, Secret Garden
These branding designs, cinematic pieces and photoshoots were commissioned by the fashion brand MACEL as the trailer for their official store launch in Toronto.
My role - sole 3D artist, animator, designer
Time frame - july to dec 2025
Skills - Brand Design, Blender, Marvelous Designer (Fashion Renders), Geometry Nodes (Procedural Tools Creation), 3D Modeling (Hard Surface Modeling, Sculpting, Procedural Creation), 3D Animation (Keyframe, Blend Shapes, Procedural, Skeletal), Rigging, Character Design, Environment Design, Lighting Design
Process
Fashion brand MACEL wanted to relaunch their latest collection, "The Secret Garden," by expanding their brand into a digital world. My responsibility was to design a mascot and environment that encapsulated the essence of the collection, as well as bring everything to life.
Here's a brief overview of what the roadmap looked like. Click on any of the steps to be redirected to the respective section.
Making of
the MACEL Baby
Character Design
Creating the Garden
Envirnment Design
Integrating the Fashion
Clothing Renders
Flowers, Shrooms,
Sculptures, Insects
Asset Design
Final Outputs
Reflection
Understanding
MACEL
Research and Brainstorm
The Secret Garden is MACEL's latest collection. My responsibility was to create a virtual world that encapsulated its whimsical nature. As directed by the client, the garden should feel enchanted, soft, and alive. Elements instructed to include were: a magical creature, dragonflies, mushrooms, morning dew, moths. Additionally.
In addition to this prompt, I took particular note of all that made this collection stand out from its competitors: squiggly silhouettes, vibrant and pastel colors, diverse forms, flaps in the clothing, colorful designs, surreal shapes, references to insects and flowers, and a bundle of different textures stacked together. All of these were taken into account in order to create a virtual garden that would instinctively 'feel' like MACEL.
dangling crystals
insect wings
curved silhouette
moth
wings
flower pattern
flaps
contrasting textiles & shapes
pastel gradient
dragonfly wings
face shapes
squiggles
Moodboard
After further conversations with the brand's designers, here is the resulting moodboard. Note the use of stone sculptures, oversized mushrooms, and flowers as props for photoshoots. I made a conscious effort to focus on organic shapes (squiggles, spirals) and surreal petals.
You can browse through the complete moodboard here.
Final details are being added to this page.
Please check back for the full writeup.
Flowers, Mushrooms, Sculptures, Insects
Asset Design
The Secret Garden is all about whimsy. As directed by the client, the garden should feel enchanted, soft, and alive. Elements instructed to include were: a magical creature, dragonflies, mushrooms, morning dew, moths.
In addition to this prompt, I took particular note of all that made this collection stand out from its competitors: squiggly silhouettrs, vibrant & pastel colors, different forms, flaps in clothing, colorful designs, surreal shapes, references to insects and flowers, and bundle of different textures stacked together. All of these were taken into account in order to create a virtual garden that would instinctively "feel" like MACEL.
*ADD GALLERY OF SOME ASSET RENDERS DUMPS
Procedural Content Creations
I wanted to have maximal freedom when playing around with the environment setup, foliage and flowers. As a result, procedural tools were made to make the experience as effiecient as possibel. As shown below, this ranged from flowers, foliage, bushes )natural and cut), plant growth and mass instancing.
PROCEDURAL TOOLS:
BUSHES
SCATTERING PLANTS
FLOWERS W BRANCHES?
cut bushes
grometry proximity
Flowers
Controls size, type, rotation, number of petals and leaves and outer leaves
Generations (Layers) of petals
Stem material and thickness
Leaf Start and end along stem
Sculptures
All stone and sculptures of the garden, to contrast the vibrant nature but to elevate the aesthetic, where made by me, through hard surface modeling and sculpting methods. All materials used were imported from free open source
Other Assets
Other vegetation, such as mushrooms and surreal plants were made through a mix of sxulpting, geometry nodes, and modeling.
Making of
the MACEL Baby
Character Design
A significant section of the project was to introduce a mascot to MACEL's brand. A creature that would reside in the secret garden and accompany the models in their exploration.
The description handed by the client for the garde creature
round, dark, sunken eyes,
dragonfly-like wings,
chubby body,
insect antennae
Initial Moodboard and Concept Drawings
A mix of pictures sumbitted by the client, pinterest pictures responded by me, pictures taken from inspiring exhibitons, concept drawings iterated with the client.
Final Looks
After moving forward with the favorite prototype, i created three alternative looks for the client to choose from. Incidentally, all of them were enthusiastically approved, so the plan was changed to have one main creature, as well as 2 creatures to accompany them.
add closeup with tear!
Environment Design
Fashion brand MACEL wanted relaunch thei rlatest collection, "the secret garden", by expanding their brand into a digital world. My responsibility was to design a mascot and environment that encapsulated the collection's, as well as bring everything to life.
Here's a brief overview of what the roadmap looked like:
![[MACEL] Logotype 1_edited.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/db1c98_7dc924ed940548ffbf5e5d2862ffca42~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_137,h_133,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/%5BMACEL%5D%20Logotype%201_edited.png)
![[MACEL] Logotype 1 copy.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/db1c98_c25eea87d35d4d1a90ddfca7a24d8127~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_117,h_181,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/db1c98_c25eea87d35d4d1a90ddfca7a24d8127~mv2.png)
![[MACEL] Logotype 1_edited.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/db1c98_346ae48413cd4909bb678e68727b486b~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_0,y_0,w_549,h_529/fill/w_141,h_137,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/%5BMACEL%5D%20Logotype%201_edited.png)
![[MACEL] Logotype 1_edited.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/db1c98_b93ce3c36df449a39bf119e27e2882a4~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_152,h_153,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/%5BMACEL%5D%20Logotype%201_edited.png)
Integrating
the Fashion
The initial plan for the project was to integrate 3D scans of the models to the environment. After that was deemed ufeasible, I was in charge of creating 3D fashion renders instead. I recreated the iconic white jacket, one of the central pieces of the collection, on Marvelous Designer.
Fashion Renders
Integrating
the Fashion
The initial plan for the project was
Fashion Renders
Initial Pencil Sketches
Final Looks
After moving forward with the favorite prototype, i created three alternative looks for the client to choose from. Incidentally, all of them were enthusiastically approved, so the plan was changed to have one main creature, as well as 2 creatures to accompany them.
