Sep 23, 2015 | By Tess
Lions and tigers and… 3D printers? Oh my. On the most recent episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, this season’s premiere in fact, Kanye West made a rare appearance and dished on some of his technological likes and dislikes. “I like robots,” he explains, but he is scared of 3D printing!
The episode, which follows the Kardashian clan to their homeland of Armenia, features a visit to Armenia’s Tumo Center for Creative Technologies. Tumo is an after school center where youths can go to access and learn about digital technologies. From game design, to filmmaking, to 3D modelling, the center provides state of the art equipment for the Armenian youth to refine their technological skills, and in their words, “provide teens with a competitive edge in a digital world”.
It was in talking to one of the Tumo center instructors that Kanye divulged his insecurities regarding 3D printing technology. He explains, “That is what I’m afraid of right here. 3D printing. Because the Internet destroyed the music industry and now this is what we’re afraid of right now with the textile industry.”
The worry he has seems to be surrounding the accessible nature of 3D printing, and its potential to make material objects available to anyone with a 3D printer. “There will come a time where it’s like, people will be making their shoes at home,” he adds. Of course, his fear might not be completely substantiated, for as the Tumo art instructor explains, 3D printing something like shoes would still require an extremely skilled 3D designer.
Perhaps the youth at the Tumo Center for Creative Technologies were able to sway Kanye’s fear of 3D printing by demonstrating some of its alternate uses. For instance, a group of students at Tumo are responsible not for 3D printing Kanye’s clothing line, but for creating a kit of 3D models to be used in the creation of a stop motion animation. More information on their project and the stop motion animation can be found here.
It is interesting that Kanye West, an innovator in his own right, would be so worried about the future and potentials of 3D printing technology, especially considering the doors it has opened elsewhere in the fashion industry. For instance, the impressive 3D printed ice-block shoe designed by United Nude, and Koerner’s beautiful 3D printed high-fashion collection.
Perhaps one day we will be 3D printing our own shoes, though it remains to be seen whether Kanye will be on board with additive manufacturing by then.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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So.. Big arse in Kardashian entourage scared expensive crap may get harder to sell. I'll try to not get too upset for the poor little sausage.
Mark S. wrote at 9/24/2015 2:24:08 PM:
At least 3Ders published images of Kenye smiling instead of his moniker of disgust.
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