FRI publishes on its thought leadership in various ways.  Working closely with its affiliate, Fashion Research Foundation, FRI publishes nonfiction and textbooks in virtual worlds, apparel industry, and virtua goods design and development. 

Publications & Textbooks

FRI's seminal textbook on avatar apparel design, Designing Dreams, was published in summer 2009, and was followed shortly thereafter by a full-color history of the early days of the open source OpenSim platform. 

Shengri La Spirit: A Designer's Perspective of the Making of OpenSim, is an exploration of the early days of the OpenSim code base (opensimulator.org), lushly illustrated with images shot in the historical Shengri La Spirit region, first created on the IBM Yellow Zone in 2008.  These publications are available on Amazon.com.

Currently, the following titles are planned for publication in Q3 2010, with additional titles slated for publication in Q1 2011. Shengri La Chamomile, Shengri La Gallery and Scouts, Pioneers, and Settlers.  To preorder, please visit Amazon.com.

Fashion Research Insitute's Shengri La

@First Glance

Shengri La Spirit:
A Designer's Perspective to the Making of OpenSim

Designing Dreams:
The Art & Business of Avatar Apparel Design & Development

Shengri La Gallery:
Art in OpenSim

Shengri La Chamomile: Large Scale, Complex Development in OpenSim

Scouts, Pioneers, and Settlers.

In addition to its books, FRI also publishes a semi-regular blog, where items and articles of more ephemeral interest are posted.  We also publishes an irregular newsletter, @ First Glance, which focuses on apparel, avatar apparel, technical design, and fashion design in all worlds.

Lastly, FRI publishes white papers on topics of interest to its stakeholders.  Topics can include OpenSim legal considerations; content standards; licensing concerns; virtual world immersion; and new paradigms in on-line immersive education.