3D printed high fashion has continued to develop as an emerging trend over the past few years, as regular 3DPI readers will know from our fashion section. This year’s New York Couture Fashion Week saw a range of seven hats that were 3D printed by the 3D-Store NYC and expanded franchise of the original store in Moscow, who was also one of the event’s main sponsors. The hats, designed by Andres Aquino – producer of the Couture Fashion Week, photographer, publisher, businessman and all-round fashion guru – represent ancient mythology from around the globe and use a variety of materials and colours.
From the 3D printed hats at the 2012 Materialise World Conference to Milliner Gabriela Ligenza’s range launched for the famed British horse racing Ascot event in 2014, the unique forms and intricate structures that additive manufacturing can create have saturated into the consciousness of fashion designers and to the wider public during recent years. The 2014 Couture Fashion Week in New York witnessed another range added to the increasingly eclectic breadth of approaches and influences incorporated in printed headpieces, further raising the profile of additive fashion and including a number of forms unseen before in the wider 3D printed catalogue of fashion.
Relatively understated and minimal for hats produced by our subject technologies, each of the fashion items used a historic iconic symbol from a variety of cultures. The vibrant gold of the eye of Horus, famed ancient Eygptian pictograph, particularly stands out as an example of printing quality in more exotic materials. See also the Tree Of Life hat, which on one hand is a shape that could be created by a wide variety of manufacturing techniques rather being solely indicative of 3D printing’s merits, yet on the other hand offers an example of the bolder structural motifs that can be created by additive manufacturing. The printing for the hats was performed upon 3D Systems machines by 3D-Store NYC.
Anastasiya Trubnikava, CEO of 3D-Store NYC commented: “I believe New York is one of the most incredible and breathtaking cities in the World, and there is no better place than Times Square to deliver our first message to our customers. Times Square is the epitome of potent, powerful publicity, visualization of the most popular trends in the world. Therefore, we presented an opportunity to get to know the potential of 3D printing as well as get acquainted with 3D-Store NYC through the world’s leading billboard on Times Square.“
SIU System opened their first 3D-Store a year ago as the first 3D printing showroom in Russia. 3D-Store supplies 3D printers, 3D printing services and offers a public showroom for future technology. The showroom has been featured in over a hundred publications, such as interviews with company experts, television features and so froth. SIU System’s 3D-Store was an official partner of the first major exhibition of 3D printing tech in Russia, the 3D Print Expo.
Ashkhen Hovsepyan, CEO and founder of 3D-Store previously reflected: “More people come to our Moscow showroom every day, and are keen to join the 3D printing evolution, learn about the scope of opportunity, offered by the 3D printing world. We provide our clients not only with the production of their ideas in 3D, but more importantly with a chance to come and “touch” these ideas, see for themselves the phenomenal nature and ease of use of the 3D technology.”
From there the company moved on to instigate a New York branch, 3D-Store NYC, which specialises in “3D printers, 3D modeling and supportive 3D printing services, working with professional businesses and retail customers.” The team at the branch share that they are currently working on spectacular projects for other events soon.
