3DP Applications

Colombian Fashion Designer, Camilo Alvarez, Wows with 3D Printed Accessories

What do you reckon the odds are on writing / editing two stories in a 24 hour period that feature two different designers, utilising 3D printing, from Colombia?

Not very high, obviously, because that’s what happened to me today!

The first (the second will come later today), is Camilo Alvarez, a leading Colombian fashion designer. Yes, it’s another fashion application — the unique forms enabled by 3D printing are taking the fashion world by storm now. The increasing trickle we’ve seen to date is likely to evolve into an avalanche — prepare yourselves.

Camilo Alvarez Botanicracia 3d printing

But back to Camilo’s Spring/Summer 2014 collection, which is called “Botanicracia” and features some eye-catching 3D printed elements, most notably with the fashion accessories. His collection launched recently at Colombiamoda 2013 in Medellin and has been inspired by the coexistence of nature and urban technology as well as 3D printed fashion in France, Japan and the United States.  Camilo says his aim was to create a unique 3D accessories collection for men and women, thus it features caps, bracelets, glasses and toecaps, as well as some ‘dresses’ that incorporate a central plastic structure and knits.

It probably won’t knock you sideways to learn that the tech behind these 3D printed fashion statements comes from Stratasys (the company does seem to have a near-monopoly on the fashion industry, along with Materialise of course. Although, that said, MakerBot’s revelation last week that it is staking a claim could see that coming to an end.) The Objet260 Connex and Objet500 Connex multi-material 3D printers were fundamental to the creations, but an Objet Eden platform was used as well. The Connex platform is still unique in its ability to print simultaneously with multiple materials that have different physical properties and it was this that proved to be the most important criteria for Camilo to realize his goal. Camilo was able to incorporate complex geometric design practices and techniques in his work and prototype the final results for instant verification.

The responses he got were so positive: “People who attended the show and those who came closer to see the products were amazed; many of them had never imagined that fashion objects and accessories could be 3D printed.”