Information
Robot Fashion FAQ
A working answer set for the most common questions about the atelier, the platforms we dress, the engineering behind the work, and what it costs.
We design and produce garments for humanoid robots. Each piece is engineered around a specific platform's dimensions, joint geometry, and sensor layout, then constructed by hand in our Paris atelier. The result is clothing that fits precisely, moves without restriction, and meets the same aesthetic standard as traditional couture.
Clothing changes how people perceive and interact with a robot. In corporate settings, appropriate attire reinforces professionalism. In homes, it softens the visual presence and makes the machine feel more approachable. At events or in retail, a well-dressed robot becomes a distinctive brand statement. The reasons vary by context. The effect is consistent: thoughtful presentation improves the experience for everyone around the machine.
Our team pairs artisans trained in Parisian haute couture with engineers who specialise in robotic platforms. We maintain detailed dimensional archives for every major humanoid on the market and develop proprietary construction techniques for each. A costume shop adapts an existing pattern to a non-human body and accepts the fit problems. A contract sewer takes a tech pack and produces to it. We do neither. We engineer the pattern from the chassis up.
Yes, by appointment. Active commissioning clients visit for fittings on their robot. Press, retailers, and partner-house representatives are received in our atelier reception room with notice. We do not run a public retail boutique at this address. Email [email protected] to request a visit.
French and English natively. Discovery calls and written commission documents are routinely conducted in Arabic, Japanese, Korean, and Mandarin Chinese. Our website is fully translated to all five locales.
We hold active pattern libraries for the six humanoid platforms in current production-grade deployment: Tesla Optimus (Gen 2), Boston Dynamics Atlas (electric), Figure 03, XPeng Iron, 1X NEO, and Unitree G1. Detailed specifications and engineering notes for each are at /robot-platform-comparison.
We dress full bipedal humanoid platforms only. Wheeled-base service robots and pedestal-mounted robots fall outside the atelier's scope. Our pattern engineering is built for the gait cycle of a walking humanoid, the dimensional ratios of a true bipedal frame, and the actuator joint set that comes with one. Service-format robots like SoftBank Pepper, SoftBank Nao, Beam telepresence robots, Aldebaran Romeo, and most retail kiosk robots have different geometries that our patterns are not designed against.
Quadruped robots (Boston Spot, Unitree Go) and industrial arm robots are also outside our discipline. We make humanoid couture, not animal forms or fixed-base mechanicals.
If it is a full bipedal humanoid, almost always yes. We conduct a technical survey on the unit you intend to dress, take chassis-fitted measurements, and develop a new pattern library for the platform. Lead time on a brand new platform is two to three weeks longer than for a platform already in our archive. Email [email protected] with the platform spec.
No. Preserving full operational capability is a non-negotiable requirement of every garment we produce. We use sensor-transparent materials at the panels that cover camera, LIDAR, and ultrasonic emitters. We design ventilation into thermally sensitive areas. Every seam is mapped against the joint envelope. Each prototype runs through articulation and sensor validation before final production begins.
Detailed transmission curves and validation pass rates from our archive are published at /specifications-and-test-data.
Minor revisions (firmware, sensor recalibration, new battery housing) almost always leave existing garments compatible. Major dimensional revisions (a new chassis generation, a relocated joint, a different sensor head) usually require updated patterns. We maintain version-controlled archives by chassis generation so the next iteration of your fleet inherits the validated work, not just the silhouette.
Every piece runs through five gates before it leaves the atelier. Sensor pass: piece on the chassis, onboard cameras and LIDAR active, the platform's self-test reports any reduction in field of view or unexpected occlusion. Articulation pass: the chassis runs a programmed motion sequence exercising every joint the garment crosses, three angles of high-frame-rate video. Thermal pass: forty-minute walk at the deployment cadence with embedded thermocouples at the contact points. Change pass: the operator who will deploy the piece performs a full dressing cycle, time recorded. Visual pass: the atelier director walks the piece on the chassis at rest and under articulation, and decides whether the silhouette reads the way the brief intended. The visual gate is the most often-failed.
A textile that does not significantly attenuate the wavelengths a humanoid robot uses to perceive its environment. We characterise every base fabric we use against LIDAR (905 nm and 1550 nm), near-infrared depth (840 nm), and visible-light camera bands. Validated transmission curves are published in our test data archive. Standard cloth blocks ten to twenty percent of LIDAR returns, which is enough to meaningfully degrade navigation. Our sensor-transparent panels lose less than two percent.
Insured shipping to the deployment site in climate-controlled packaging, hand carry by an atelier representative for high-value pieces or for pieces destined for protocol environments, on-site fitting and dressing training for the operators who will handle the unit, and a written care handoff document. White-glove delivery is included on every commission of value over EUR 20,000 by default.
Hand work is the rate-limiting step. Standard collection pieces require about one hundred eighty hours of cut, sew, and finish. Bespoke Singular pieces are six hundred to one thousand. ICHOR pieces run from five hundred to one thousand by design. Construction begins after pattern engineering is locked, which is itself a two- to three-week process for a new commission.
Our six collections range from EUR 5,500 to EUR 15,000 depending on complexity, materials, and design scope. ICHOR archive pieces run from EUR 6,000 to EUR 32,000. Bespoke Singular commissions, where we create an entirely original garment from concept to completion, start from EUR 25,000. Fleet programs for corporate clients deploying multiple units are quoted individually.
Thirty percent deposit at commission to begin pattern engineering. Forty percent at sample sign-off. Thirty percent on final delivery. Fleet programs and ICHOR pieces have program-specific schedules negotiated in the term sheet.
Bank wire (preferred for commissions over EUR 20,000), major credit cards, and select cryptocurrency on request. Locale-specific methods are available case by case for clients in Asia and the Gulf. Coordinate at the bespoke inquiry stage.
Prices on this site are quoted in euros. Commission contracts can be denominated in EUR, USD, GBP, JPY, AED, SAR, KRW, or CNY by request. Currency is locked at commission signature, not at delivery, so quoted prices do not move with FX during the build window.
EU clients: prices include French VAT. Non-EU clients: prices are quoted before duties and import taxes, which vary by destination and are billed at clearance. We provide proper commercial invoicing for any customs declaration. Diplomatic and ATA carnet routes are available for protocol-tier deployments.
Until pattern engineering begins, the deposit is fully refundable minus a small consultation fee. After pattern engineering begins, the deposit is non-refundable, since the dimensional work and sample piece are committed atelier hours. Bespoke Singular and ICHOR pieces are non-refundable from signature, with the term sheet noting any rework and revision allowances.
Standard collection pieces: six to eight weeks. Bespoke Singular: twelve to sixteen weeks. ICHOR: case by case, typically twelve to twenty weeks depending on the archive piece. Fleet programs: ten to twenty-eight weeks depending on volume. We recommend beginning conversations well in advance of any fixed deadline.
Yes, with a rush surcharge that scales with how aggressively the construction window is compressed. The atelier maintains a small reserved capacity for time-critical commissions tied to launches, galas, and ceremonial events. Pattern engineering cannot be skipped, only the production hand work can be parallelised across more artisans.
Six stages. Discovery call to understand context and requirements. Technical survey of the chassis you intend to dress. Design development with concept renderings, material proposals, and color systems. Pattern engineering and a sample piece for sign-off. Final production and the five-gate validation pass. White-glove delivery and operator handoff. Detailed walk-through here.
Email [email protected] with the platform you intend to dress, the intended use, the timeline, and any aesthetic direction. Our team responds within forty-eight hours. We will schedule a discovery call, either virtually or at our atelier in Paris. There is no charge and no obligation. Or submit a bespoke inquiry directly here.
Yes, and this is how most ICHOR clients and Bespoke Singular collectors work with us. Multi-piece commissions share design language, are pattern-engineered against the same chassis archive, and can be staged for delivery on different dates. Most multi-piece engagements include a coordinated capsule structure, not a series of disconnected one-offs.
Within the engineering envelope of your platform, very. Material choice, color system, embroidery, hardware, lining, closure architecture, garment archetype, and silhouette are all open. We do not customise around constraints we know will fail validation: a fully sensor-blocking material covering a perception window will not ship.
Provided fabric: yes, after technical evaluation. We test the cloth against our sensor and abrasion validation criteria. If it passes, we use it. If not, we recommend the closest match from our validated library and explain the tradeoff. Provided designer: yes, in collaboration. We work with house creative directors and external designers regularly. Pattern engineering and validation remain ours.
Yes, in six ways: jacquard woven into the cloth at the mill, hand or machine embroidery, debossed tonal pressed mark on nano-leather and shells, cast metal hardware (brass, palladium, brushed steel), LED status crest for event and hospitality work, and lining and label work. Send your brand guidelines with the brief.
You own the physical garment. We retain the pattern, the construction process, and the design intellectual property unless the commission was a named co-creation under the licensing engagement model, in which case credit and rights are negotiated in the term sheet. We do not produce a duplicate of a Bespoke Singular piece for another client. Each Bespoke Singular is unique by definition.
No. We do not reproduce protected designs from other houses. We can take a brief inspired by an aesthetic direction and design something distinct that meets your intent.
Yes. Fleet engagements run from five-unit atelier-managed programs (EUR 120,000 plus per-piece costs) up to dedicated production cells for hundred-plus-unit fleets. Detailed program structure at /corporate-services.
Five units. Below five units we treat the engagement as a small bespoke series rather than a fleet program. Above one hundred units we run a dedicated production cell.
Yes by default. The atelier signs a mutual NDA at the discovery call before any platform-specific or operational detail is exchanged. Most active fleet engagements are not publicly disclosed. The pieces ship under your brand. Detailed white-label arrangements are at /atelier-licensing.
Only under named co-creation engagements. The MR mark does not go on garments built outside our atelier or our supervised production cell. White-label engagements ship under the partner's mark with no MR attribution. The ICHOR collection is never licensed.
Six core textile families: Super 180s worsted Italian merino with a carbon fiber weft, 3K twill carbon fiber over an aramid core, mulberry silk over graphene-infused backing, 1680D Cordura ballistic nylon, Grade A Mongolian cashmere over a stretch micro-mesh, and lab-grown protein leather with a self-healing membrane. Within each family we maintain a validated sub-library of colorways and weights.
Yes for several proprietary cloths where the commercial supply chain did not produce a textile that passed our validation. Most of our cloth is sourced from our atelier partners in France, Italy, and Japan, with critical components custom made in-house.
Where the engineering allows. Our cashmere and merino are mulesing-free and traceable to mill. Our nano-leather is lab-grown and has a smaller carbon footprint than chrome-tan calfskin. Where a synthetic technical textile is required for performance, we do not pretend it is something else. Our position is published in detail at /sustainability.
Every piece ships with detailed care documentation specific to its materials and construction. Most garments feature stain-resistant nano coatings and can be spot cleaned for daily upkeep. For deeper cleaning, use a professional service experienced with technical textiles. We also offer an annual atelier refresh program where pieces return to Paris for professional service.
On a chassis-shaped form, away from direct sunlight, in the archival garment bag we ship with every commission. Capelets and trails store flat. Avoid plastic bags and humid environments. Storage instructions specific to each material are in the care documentation.
Return it to the atelier. Most damage from operational wear is repairable. Tears at non-load-bearing seams, abrasion at contact zones, and embroidery touch-ups are routine. For ICHOR and Bespoke Singular pieces we maintain the original pattern archive and can rebuild a damaged element from scratch.
Construction is warranted against manufacturing defect for twelve months from delivery. Operational wear from intended use (joint articulation, abrasion at contact zones, expected fade on technical fabrics under sustained UV) is not warranted but is covered by our annual atelier refresh program for active commissions.
Often, yes. Minor alterations are usually straightforward. For significant platform revisions where the chassis dimensions or joint envelope change, we typically recommend a new commission optimised for the updated specifications, with archive credit applied toward the new piece.
Owners of ICHOR pieces and Bespoke Singular commissions can return the garment to the atelier for archival or recycling. We extract usable hardware and embroidery, recycle technical fibers where possible, and retire the pattern from our active archive. Ownership transfer between collectors is handled directly.
Our team is available to discuss specific requirements in detail. Discovery calls are free and obligation-free.