The Digital Garment: A Comparative Study of 3D Digitisation Techniques for Fashion Heritage

This paper compares two accessible 3D digitisation workflows—photogrammetry and Gaussian Splatting—applied to garments from a corporate fashion archive. Fashion heritage poses unique challenges due to material softness, layering, and symbolic complexity, requiring models suited to both documentation and storytelling. We evaluate each workflow in archival and exhibition contexts across four criteria: visual fidelity, interactivity, file size, and adaptability. Results show trade-offs between structural accuracy and visual richness, depending on use. We also highlight opportunities for integrating lightweight 3D models into XR environments and AI-driven curatorial systems. Digital twins thus emerge as relational tools for reactivating fashion heritage within immersive, intelligent cultural ecosystems.