Fashion and 3D printing
One evening a few weeks ago, I arrived (filled with excitement) at the Rothschild Auditorium in the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv. In my bag, you could find a flash drive with a presentation containing 12 unique videos that I carefully selected and edited. After weeks of work and research, I enjoyed lecturing on the connection between fashion and 3D printing as part of "Katedra" lecture series on fashion and innovation.
What did I talk about in the lecture? Here's a little preview.
Why is 3D printing so interesting to me?
For several years now, I have been laser cutting. I prepare a pattern, adjust it, scan it to the computer, draw on the scan, send it for laser cutting, sew the parts, adjust the pattern, and repeat the process (more about laser cutting and my work process in this post).
3D printing technology is similar but also very different. Here too, there is a connection between drawing on the computer and the final product, much like my current process. However, unlike laser cutting, with 3D printing the entire product is designed in three dimensions on the computer and printed as a finished product, usually without the need to assemble parts after printing. The design is done in 3D software, not in 2D drawing software like I use today.
What is 3D printing?
This is a collective term for several different techniques. It encompasses technologies that allow for the creation of 3D models from a computer. The design is done using CAD software (Computer-Aided Design). The printing is done with various types of plastic, and as time goes on, new materials and material combinations are being developed, enabling the production of parts in various industries: architecture, space, transportation, aviation, weaponry, medicine, experiments to create food, tissues, and biological organs (still in development, here’s a new example from our tiny country), and of course – clothing.
Coral dress (Anthozoa Dress) made of soft polymeric material, collaboration with Neri Oxman (Israeli American professor at MIT) (Neri Oxman), Voltage 2013 collection
And What is The Relationship Between 3D Printing and Fashion?
In this context, it’s impossible not to mention the talented fashion designer and one of the pioneers of haute couture in 3D printing: Iris Van Herpen.
Iris Van Herpen, a Dutch designer with groundbreaking designs, combines the most traditional materials with the most radical ones in her creations.
Van Herpen is a pioneer in using 3D printing as a technique for assembling garments – starting from 2010. She is one of the most talented and innovative fashion creators. In her work, she combines the most traditional materials with the most radical ones. Her creations feature a unique aesthetic, an interest in science and technology, and she draws inspiration from the animal world.
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