Manufacturing personalised clothing, the 3D printed digital fabrication of textiles to create a counterpoint to the endless lines of mass produced looks of current high street fashion, could well have a real place in the future of fashion. It is not just the amazing looking Electroloom, the first 3D printer for clothing, that is breaching the world of additive fashion manufacturing technologies. Over in Shanghai, a captivated audience bore witness to a host of 3D printed swimwear, once again proving that 3D printing is not just exciting, it’s frankly just plain sexy.
Upon a runway full of colour, a large background LED screen augmenting the beach theme and even the blissful sound of harps mimicking the calming sounds of crashing waves; Chinese designer Zhang Hongyu launched a 3D printed swimsuit collection series using a 3D printed silicon polymer feedstock at Shanghai Fashion Week 2014.
Hongyu says that 3D printing technology allows the addition of extremely delicate elements to clothing designs, enhancing style while maintaining a soft look: “This is not just a swimsuit, it also makes the people who wear it feel happy and look charming. Swimming is part of beach culture. So we want our customers to experience beach culture, to make them feel like they’re on a relaxing holiday.”
This range appears on the back of the N-12 — the world’s first 3D printed bikini — and an ever increasing breadth of sophisticated and often sensuous garments that have been made solely or in part by 3D printing.
The extents of this emerging sub-strata of one of the world’s largest sectors, fashion, now ranges from Nervous System’s 3D Printed Bodice in the U.S. to Snezhana Gross’ MAKE YA’ SHOW in the Russian Federation, London Fashion Week saw the advent of ready to wear clothing that incorporated 3D printed fabric from the fashion brand Pringle of Scotland, Les Docks – Cité de la Mode et du Design in Paris saw the unveiling of Ms van Herpen’s Biopiracy Collection, her latest collaboration with Materialise and the flexible 3D Printing material TPU 92A-1. We have now even seen Filaflex 3D printer filament for shoes and 3D printed athletic footwear.
The euphoric launch party even saw Chinese actress Gong Li making an appearance. The Chinese brand’s printed swimsuit collection has quickly become one of the highlights at Shanghai Fashion Week.
