Dec 28, 2014 | By Alec
Time and again new examples surface of the innovative strength that 3D printing technology holds. And this time it is 3D printed lingerie. This very inventive application of 3D printing technology was devised by the German-based lingerie label Lascana in collaboration with the Russian designer Victoria Anoka. This two piece lingerie set consists of a bra and pants, has been entirely printed in nylon and features a shell and pearl design.
Why print lingerie, you might ask? Well, this creation has been made in response to a ban set in place by the Eurasian Union on the importation, production or sale of synthetic lace underwear. The ban has been active since July 2014 throughout this EU-style trading block, that covers Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, and was put in place with seemingly good intentions. It aims at protecting consumer from cheap materials (particularly synthetic fibres) that could have a negative health impact by banning any underwear made of a non-natural material that does not meet a 6 per cent absorption threshold. In practice however, it means that 90 per cent of the underwear that was available has been banned. Unsurprisingly, it caused a storm of outrage in Russian media.
To circumvent this ban, designer Anoka developed this lingerie set which was printed by 3D Printus, a Moscow-based 3D printing community and webstore that also prints on demand. Its founder and CEO Konstantin Ivanov spoke to The Moscow Times regarding this interesting use of 3D technology and called it 'the craziest thing we have been asked to print'. It supposedly took some 3 months to develop the final product.
Lingerie company Lascana hope this set will be available through their website in the future. The set will cost approximately $80 and will only be available in white, though customers can dye the set in any colour they want. While certainly presenting Russian women more options while this ban remains in place, it remains uncertain whether or not this set is very comfortable. The nylon has a plastic-like feel – which won't be to everyone's tastes – and Anastasia Belousova, the model who wore the set during its presentation, reportedly said it was 'interesting but not for everyday life.'
The team behind this interesting 3D creation is keen to point out that they're not deliberately trying to circumvent the Russian law, but remain very proud of this product and hope that 3D printing might offer more possibilities in the future. Managing director of Lascana, Ksenia Shilkina, told the Moscow Times that their designs are 'opening the future through the use of promising technology like 3-D printing. It's amazing, and we were the first in Russia to demonstrate that you can 'print' underwear with a printer.'
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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I always wondered what to do with the 3 shells. Now I do.