Dressmaker: A New Dressmaking Simulation Game Set for PC Release

Dressmaker is a simulation game that lets players design, pattern, and assemble garments using a digital fabric grid. The title emphasizes accurate fit through a “measurement system” and a “lattice deformer” that lets dress pieces shift and scale proportionally. The game does not include real-time cloth simulation, focusing instead on seam placement and vertex alignment. It will launch on PC on 21 September.

The Guardian

Co-creator Jonathan Hau-Yoon conceived Dressmaker after the environmental-strategy game *Terra Nil* and drew on the experience of his partner, costume-designer Sabrina Becker. Becker, who had to pause her studies in costume design because of hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, first wore a self-made dress on their initial date. Their collaboration built on practical dressmaking decisions—fitting pattern pieces to fabric grain, selecting trims, and responding to client commissions. A concept video attracted hundreds of thousands of views, and a prototype built in three weeks recorded roughly 30,000 downloads, prompting Free Lives founder Evan Greenwood to support full development.

The Guardian

• Jonathan Hau-Yoon – Co-creator, Free Lives co-founder, led overall design.

The Guardian

• Sabrina Becker – Costume-design partner, provided historical costume knowledge and user-experience insights.

The Guardian

• Evan Greenwood – Free Lives founder, approved the project after seeing player enthusiasm.

The Guardian

• Ruan Rothmann – Programmer, described Dressmaker as the most technically challenging game he has worked on.

The Guardian

• Jason Sutherland – Sound designer, recorded the vintage Singer sewing machine and other tool noises for in-game audio.

The Guardian

Becker emphasized that the simplified measurement system was essential to demonstrate how a bespoke dress should fit the wearer, noting the lattice deformer’s role in proportional scaling. Hau-Yoon acknowledged the difficulty of quantifying “elegance” in gameplay, describing the development process as “all numbers and spreadsheets.” Player feedback has driven features such as an ironing request and the desire to print patterns for real-world use, though the current engine cannot simulate fabric physics. A whole-team sewing class, organized by Becker, was described as “surprisingly Zen,” highlighting the developers’ immersion in actual sewing practice.

The Guardian

• “We have a whole measurement system,” — Sabrina Becker

The Guardian

• “It is simplified, but it was really important to us to illustrate that if you’re coming in for a bespoke dress the dress should be made to fit you. So there’s this whole lattice deformer thing that allows our dress pieces to shift and scale proportionally.” — Free Lives Hau-Yoon

The Guardian