Designer Jacqueline Assar on making fashion that knows what you want before you do

There’s a blurred space between human emotion and emerging tech that we're just beginning to explore. Where the things we want and need will, one day, be preempted and satisfied by smart, responsive technology that knows us as well, if not better, than we know ourselves.

One of those working to push the boundaries of intuitive tech is San Francisco-based immersive technology creator Jacqueline Assar. Her background in cognitive psychology and computer science is the foundation for a creative practice exploring the relationship between humanity and emerging technologies like AR, VR, and AI, which has seen her develop a slew of prize-winning digital experiences. The designer's latest work, Nava, is a bespoke creation debuting in the SYKY Showroom on Apple Vision Pro – a curated, immersive fashion experience built with spatial computing – alongside pieces from two other SYKY Collective alumni, PET LIGER and Taskin Goec.

“Data-driven art is always at the heart of my digital fashion creations,” Assar explains over email ahead of the launch. “For Nava, I wanted to explore music-reactivity and fabric movement.” Using cloth simulation, video-based textures, and music-responsive visuals, she created flowing digital garments that move like wind-blown silk, paired with a dreamlike music box environment that pays homage to her Persian heritage and culture.

The designer's fascination with immersive tech began in college, where a neuroscience class on the history of AI piqued her interest in human-computer interaction. After experiencing Google Cardboard at TED Geneva in 2015, she became captivated by VR. Her first major project came at the 2016 MIT Reality Virtually Hackathon, where she and her team created a cross-platform educational VR experience, earning the prize for best VR hack.

We caught up with Assar to find out more about Nava and how immersive technology can connect us more deeply to fashion, emotion, and each other.

You've created applications for industries including cooking, retail, and healthcare. What have those projects taught you about how people engage with immersive technology in everyday life?

Jacqueline Assar: Those projects have all shown me both the promise and the very real limitations of extended reality (XR) technology. For XR technology to matter to the general consumer, it has to solve a problem or fill an important need. HoloPay is a great example. In 2017, my team and I created a mixed-reality app that enabled users to shop their world and make purchases with the flick of a hand. It was a magical user experience, but the Microsoft HoloLens was not a headset ready to be worn every day. With Potluck, which is a social VR cooking app, my team and I have been working with professional chefs since 2020 – they've had no prior exposure to VR/AR technology, and the learning curve is much better than in 2017. We're still not at the point where a headset is as easy to use as a mobile phone or computer, but once that happens and headsets become lighter and cheaper, more people will experience the magic of spatial computing. 

How do you think we can make human-computer interaction more human?

Jacqueline Assar: We need to evolve beyond flat screens and static keyboard inputs to embrace interfaces that understand us as deeply as we understand each other. With advances in AI, spatial computing, and multimodal interaction, our devices can become more like collaborators, co-creating, guiding, and learning alongside us. These foundational principles of personalization and interactivity have inspired my work – you can see it in how some of my digital fashion pieces are reactive to sound and can transform in real time with various human inputs.

Do you think Apple Vision Pro is closer to that more intuitive, everyday device?

Jacqueline Assar: Apple Vision Pro is a phenomenal device. It's the first headset I've demoed to people from all backgrounds and ages that feels somewhat intuitive. The user interface feels more familiar to people because it looks like their computer and there are no gaming controllers involved. While this is the initial version of the device, I can already see how future lighter and cheaper versions have the potential to integrate into people’s daily lives as seamlessly as our mobile phones and laptops. 

Nava, the piece you created for the SYKY Showroom on Apple Vision Pro, is inspired by your own Persian culture. Why did you want to create something so personal and where did the idea for incorporating music come from?

Jacqueline Assar: I am a first-generation Iranian-American, and my Persian culture is a huge part of who I am. I wanted to create a piece that honored my culture and the rich legacy of Persian art and architecture. Traditional Persian geometric patterns often found in architecture and carpets are intricate, beautiful, and inherently mathematical, which felt fitting because I wanted the piece to feel both traditional and futuristic at the same time.

Music and fashion are both media for self-expression. I've always been interested in music-reactive art, and I wanted to bring that to life with spatial computing. With Nava, my goal was for the music box to feel both physical and enchanted. When the music box opens up, you see that there are music-reactive visuals that change with the music in real time, which adds an element of magic to the box and also intimately connects the music with the piece. This was achieved through building a custom shader in GLSL.

What was the experience working on the SYKY Showroom project like? 

Jacqueline Assar: Experimenting and creating at the forefront of fashion and spatial computing was a phenomenal experience. I learned so much and was able to create a piece that is both deeply meaningful to me and is also the most technically challenging piece I’ve worked on to date. I’m grateful, as always, to the incredible SYKY team for making the opportunity happen! 

What’s one thing you would build in mixed reality if practicality and resources weren’t considerations?

Jacqueline Assar: This may be a controversial take because of the infamous Black Mirror episode with the memory-recording contact lenses, but I would love for mixed reality to enable time travel. The first time I experienced one of my spatial videos in Apple Vision Pro, I got emotional because seeing my family in 3D honestly felt like stepping back into that memory; it was absolutely beautiful. I’m sure there are parents right now taking photos or videos of their children on Apple Vision Pro, and when those kids are older, they'll essentially be able to time-travel back to those memories. I think this technology has so much potential for good if it's used properly.

You gave a talk you gave eight years ago, exploring how augmented reality (AR) lets people present different versions of themselves. Has your view on that changed? Do you think people use AR today in the way you once imagined?

Jacqueline Assar: We definitely saw this happen with the rise in AR filters from Snap Inc. and Meta. One could argue that beauty filters are the most successful application of mixed reality to date because millions of people use them daily. That said, we also see people craving more authenticity and individuality now; I think people want more control over how they style themselves, whether through AR filters, digital fashion, or physical fashion styled by AI.

Fashion has changed so much with the rise of mixed reality. Where do you see it heading next?

Jacqueline Assar: Fashion will become more interactive, adaptive, and context-aware. The next evolution of fashion isn’t just about what you wear, but rather how what you wear reacts, projects, and exists across physical and virtual worlds simultaneously. In a world where we are all wearing mixed reality glasses, you can be wearing one outfit that transforms throughout the day digitally, depending on what you want to project to the world. That future may still be a ways away, but we are already seeing the power of mixed reality in virtual try-ons, AI stylists, and AI being used in fashion campaigns. 

What’s the most exciting shift you’re personally seeing in digital fashion experiences right now?

Jacqueline Assar: One of the most exciting shifts I’m seeing is the convergence of AI and spatial computing. Being able to wear glasses that understand both our environment and ourselves is going to unlock so many interesting experiences. For example, imagine walking into a store and asking your headset, “Which outfit here would suit me best for my friend’s spring wedding in New York?” The AI can filter options based on your measurements, weather forecast for the location, previous style preferences, and even show a virtual try-on on your preexisting avatar. 

What role do you see mixed reality playing in the future of fashion?

Jacqueline Assar: Mixed reality is both a canvas and a mirror. As a canvas, I think about sustainability through virtual prototyping. Brands can use AI and MR to simulate garment flow, texture, and fit on photorealistic virtual models before creating physical prototypes. This is already happening, but will become more mainstream as the technology improves. As a mirror, I think about mixed-reality fitting rooms in stores and in our homes. An AI stylist could appear beside you, offering outfit combinations, and you'd be able to see everything on your realistic virtual avatar. We’re seeing the early days of this with virtual try-on today, but I believe we will all try on clothes digitally before physically in the future.

Find out more about SYKY on Apple Vision Pro here.