Aug 27, 2015 | By Simon
It’s no secret that 3D printing was set to make a splash on the fashion scene, however the size of that splash was - and still is - up for debate. Among other factors, this is based on how well 3D printed materials mix with existing fashions, as well as the familiarity of additive manufacturing processes by the designers themselves, who oftentimes don’t come from 3D printing-focused backgrounds such as product design or engineering.
Unsurprisingly, when 3D printing has been presented on the catwalk, it’s managed to catch the public’s attention in ways that many other pieces don’t - such as the fully-articulated 3D printed dress worn by Dita von Teese.
While the various 3D printed fashions of the past certainly garnered attention in their own right, a new crop of designers are paving their own path with 3D printed fashions and coincidentally, many of them are doing so using an Ultimaker 3D printer.
According to the Dutch 3D printer manufacturer - who most recently were awarded the best 3D printer in a recent Make Magazine shootout and were the editors’ choice by Digital Trends and best Consumer Product at the 3D Printshow Global Awards 2014 - 3D print-based designs are taking the fashion world by storm and Ultimaker is helping today’s designers pave the way with easy-to-use and powerful additive manufacturing technology.
Among others who have turned to Ultimaker 3D printers to get their designs off the ground include design visionaries and studios including Chris van den Elzen, Julian Hakes and XYZ Workshop - all of whom shook up the fashion world when they used Ultimaker 3D printers to produce their unique designs.
For his design, Chris van den Elzen’s Excidium shoe was inspired by abandoned cityscapes that had been taken over by nature. The towering architectural heel of the shoe was entirely 3D printed and created by using woodFill filament, a filament with a wood-like appearance from ColorFabb. Because of Ultimaker’s open filament system, van den Elzen was able to experiment with a number of different types of filament before achieving the final look that he had intended on for his design.
While designing a shoe concept using a 3D printer is certainly impressive, perhaps what’s even more impressive is Van den Elzen’s plan to manufacture multiple shoes individually using his Ultimaker 3D printer - a process that combines an age-old craft with modern technology to create a functional product for today’s consumers.
Similar to Van den Elzen is designer Julian Hakes, who also makes shoes out of his London and Hong Kong offices using an Ultimaker 2 3D printer. Hakes first discovered the Ultimaker at the 3D Print Show in New York where he was exhibiting his Mojito Shoe footwear on the 3D Print Show catwalk. Previously, he had been working as an architect for over 10 years.
Unlike Van den Elzen, Hakes prefers using his Ultimaker to create prototypes of his shoes rather than the finished products themselves. Among other shoe, his Mojito Shoe was designed iteratively and utilized the fast print times of the Ultimaker 3D printer. The resulting shoe design is a futuristic heel that’s designed to support the natural weight-distribution of the foot with a winding minimalist design.
Although it would appear that shoes are the latest go-to fashion item for designers with a 3D printer based on the aforementioned examples, XYZ Workshop used their Ultimaker 3D printer to create a dress made entirely using Flexible PLA filament, the inBloom Dress. More recently, the dress was sent down the catwalk at New York’s 3D Print Show where it was declared the longest dress made using a 3D printer.
In total, the inBloom Dress was measured in at approximately 213 cm long and is made of 191 panels which took 450 hours to print and used 1.7 kg of 2.85 mm PLA Flexible filament - which is equivalent to approximately $104 USD in filament.
But despite what is being created - be it a shoe or a dress or anything else - perhaps what’s most important about this new revolution of 3D printing-based fashion design is that these designers are proving that creating wearable fashions using desktop printers can certainly be done - and done well.
While we may be a ways off from printing our outfits in their entirety, it’s never too late to step into the future and start creating your own 3D printed fashion accessories now!
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
Maybe you also like:
- Connecticut scientists replicate antique musical instruments using 3D printing
- 4WEB makes milestone: Over 3,000 4WEB 3D-printed spinal implants in use
- ESA's first 3D printer POP3D set for Space Station
- Slovakian man recovers after surgeons successfully apply a 3D printed titanium skull implant
- SUMISAYA Japanese sword combines traditional katana craftsmanship with 3D printing
- South African teens build self-repairing 3D printer to support human mission to Mars
- 3DPrinterOS and 3Dponics team up to offer 3D printable DIY hydroponics system
- Full Spectrum Laser secures $10 Million investment for growth in 3D printing
- World's largest 3D sand printer gives 1912 Brush car a new lease of life
- GE to build new Pennsylvania facility to develop & implement 3D printing technology
3Ders.org provides the latest news about 3D printing technology and 3D printers. We are now seven years old and have around 1.5 million unique visitors per month.
