Vogue Australia | Tiffany & Co.
SEP|2018 - The First Shudu Muse Editorial
Created for Vogue Australia, this editorial marked a significant milestone in the evolution of The Diigitals and the development of Shudu as a virtual model.
Produced in partnership with Tiffany & Co. to showcase the launch of the Paper Flowers jewellery collection, the project combined fine jewellery photography, digital artistry, and virtual fashion imagery to create a series of hyperreal portraits featuring Shudu.
While the finished images presented Shudu as the sole subject, the editorial introduced a production process that would become fundamental to many future Diigitals projects: the use of a real-world muse to inform the performance of a virtual character.
For this shoot, Alexandrah, one of Shudu's earliest collaborators and muses, was photographed wearing the Tiffany & Co. jewellery pieces. Her poses, expressions, and physical performance provided the foundation upon which Shudu was digitally recreated. The resulting images combined photography of the real jewellery with CGI character creation, blending physical craftsmanship and virtual artistry into a single image.
This was the first time The Diigitals employed what would later become known internally as the "Muse" process, a collaborative workflow where the movement, personality, and expression of real performers help shape the presence of a digital model. Rather than replacing human creativity, the approach places it at the centre of the production process, creating a unique fusion between physical and virtual performance.
The project also demonstrated the growing possibilities of digital fashion imagery within luxury publishing. Working with highly detailed Tiffany & Co. jewellery required new technical approaches to seamlessly integrate real-world objects with a fully digital character while maintaining the realism and craftsmanship expected of a luxury editorial.
Beyond the technical achievement, the story explored wider questions surrounding authenticity, identity, and the future of image-making. At a time when virtual humans were only beginning to enter mainstream conversations, the editorial invited audiences to consider where the boundaries between photography, illustration, fashion, and digital creation might eventually lead.
Published by Vogue Australia, the feature helped introduce Shudu to a wider international audience while establishing a creative methodology that continues to underpin The Diigitals' work today.
What began as an experiment in combining photography and CGI would ultimately become one of the defining production techniques behind The Diigitals' most recognised campaigns. In many ways, this editorial represents the beginning of the collaborative process that transformed Shudu from a digital artwork into a fully realised virtual personality.