Nov 3, 2015 | By Kira
Today’s video games rival Oscar-winning films in terms of their realism, storytelling and characters, however just 30 years ago, the comically flat, two-dimensional world of 8-bit games ruled. Harkening back to the golden era of 1970s and 80s video games, which in a sense, represent most people’s first personal contact with at-home technology, Portuguese fashion designer Katty Xiomara designed an entire fashion line titled 8 Bit Flashback. To further blur the lines between past, present, and future technologies, she used a 3D printer to create the memorable, pixel-inspired accessories that complete the line.
No stranger to combining traditional craftsmanship with modern materials and techniques, Katty Xiomara’s very first award as a Fashion Design student was 1st place in a ‘Fashion and Technology’ competition in Italy. She is now a designer of international acclaim, attending Portuguese Fashion Week since 1998 and receiving recognition around the world. For 8 Bit Flashback, she wanted to go back in time and get to the root of our current obsession with technology.
“We began thinking what would be people’s first contact with technology—not in an industrial way, because computers already existed—but in our own homes. Before the personal computer, it would be through video games,” she said. Since in fashion as in life, the ongoing dictum is ‘everything old is new again,’ she decided to bring back the kind of aesthetic that would send any child of the 80’s into an immediate nostalgia-spiral.
The fashion line, though still feminine and distinctly tailored, includes flared trousers, bright, warm colours, and long pointy collars reminiscent of the late 70’s and 80’s. However, what really signals her source of inspiration are the bold accessories: rings, bracelets, buttons and appliqués with distinctly ‘pixelated’ surfaces—all created through 3D printing technology. “I’ll be honest, I’ve been in love with 3D printing for quite a while now,” said the designer. “We thought that even though we’re talking about games that were very two-dimensional at the time, and very flat, we wanted to bring this idea of the square, the pixel, out through the screen. The opportunity to get in touch with BEEVERYCREATIVE arose and everything came together very well.”
The Portuguese-based 3D printing company used a BEETHEFIRST, a sleek and mobile FFF 3D printer, to transform Xiomara’s ideas into real-life models. According to Xiomara, 3D printing technology is ideal for fashion design, and allows her to create items that either wouldn’t be possible, or would take far too long to make using conventional tools. Not only can she fully transmit her vision—in terms of materials, measurements, and design—directly to the 3D printing team, they could create several prototypes to ensure the best possible quality, and even manufacture the final product in a much shorter amount of time.
The 8 Bit Flashback line was revealed at Portugal Fashion 2015, and you can check it out in this fun and ultra-nostalgic video, complete with quirky models in bright yellow wigs and an 8-bit inspired soundtrack that’s sure to trigger your nostalgia. BEEVERYCREATIVE also recently collaborated with another creative Portuguese mind, Leonel Moura, to create a 3D printed, 5-meter-tall statue in Lisbon and celebrate the intersection of art and technology.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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