IllyStrate: Innovative Fashion Illustration Tools and Design Workshops

IllyStrate, based in Old Bar, New South Wales, Australia, is a specialized fashion design and illustration brand founded by Prue Rainey. Drawing on over 20 years of experience as a Head of Design for major brands like CUE, Rainey developed IllyStrate to bridge the gap between imagination and technical illustration. The core of the brand is the Illy Strate tool—a movable, laser-cut fashion figure crafted from recyclable polycarbonate. This A3-sized tool allows designers of all levels to trace perfectly proportioned silhouettes based on the 9 Heads Theory of fashion illustration, effectively serving as training wheels for mastering human proportions in design. The brand extends its impact through a variety of educational offerings, including in-person and virtual workshops. These sessions cover fundamental fashion design principles, rendering techniques, and curriculum-aligned projects for both students and professional designers. IllyStrate also provides a range of specialized stationery, such as the Stencil Diary and Faintly Figured fashion sketching pages, designed to help creatives quickly capture and organize design ideas from concept development to technical sketching. Recognized for its innovation with a Good Design Award and features in the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, IllyStrate remains dedicated to fostering creativity and skill development within the global fashion community.