Recently designer Katya Leonovich incorporated 3D printing into her Spring 2015 line which was shown at New York's Fashion Week. Vogue used a 3D printed version of supermodel Karlie Kloss in an international media campaign. These are both signs that 3D fashion printing is here to stay and will spark the creative minds pushing fashion to its limits with new trends.
3D printing technology is already becoming a hot trend in the fashion industry.
Recently designer Katya Leonovich incorporated 3D printing into her Spring 2015 line which was shown at New York's Fashion Week. Vogue used a 3D printed version of supermodel Karlie Kloss in an international media campaign. These are both signs that 3D fashion printing is here to stay and will spark the creative minds pushing fashion to its limits with new trends.
Consumers Becoming Designers and Manufacturers
As the price of personal 3D printers falls it will become common to have your own 3D printer at home. The private individual will be able to design and print their own garments. This individual customization will lead to a wide spectrum of styles and perhaps a drop in quality.
Ready-to-Wear 3D Fashion
This trend is only just getting off the ground. The fashion start-up, Continuum has created the first ready-to-wear 3D printed nylon bikini. On their website consumers can create a virtual blueprint of their body and then customize the fashions to suit their shape and size. In the future we will be able to choose a ready-to-wear design and then make tweaks to suit our tastes and body shape. Even off-the-rack fashions will be unique.
3D Printed Fabric
Presently the easiest raw material to use as the "ink" in 3D printers is plastic. However the future promises a full range of fabric types including cotton, wool and silk which will be used as the basis for 3D printed garments. Already "Smart fabric" is becoming a new trend and could result in fabrics changing their color or texture according to the surroundings. Fabric will no longer be static but an interactive and active inspiration for fashion.
What does 3D Printing bring to the Fashion Industry?
- Rapid production of prototypes
- 3D printed sustainable textiles
- Shorter lead time
- Ability to produce fashion items with no minimum order quantity
- Customized ready-to-wear fashions
- Everyone becomes a designer
- Many factory workers will become redundant
- Quality control may suffer
- Threat of losing the skills of handmade and crafted fashions
The new trends in 3D fashion printing are integrating technology and artistry. The extent to which the artistry is enhanced depends only on the time it takes for 3D printing technology to catch up with the imagination of creative designers.
