Katya Leonovich Debut’s 3D Printed Clothing Line at New York Fashion Week

Avant garde fashion designer Katya Leonovich debuted her new Spring 2015 line at this years Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York City this past weekend where most of her collection consisted of clothing constructed from 3D printed fabrics and embellishments.

3D printed textiles started to be developed some years ago, and rely on clever geometry to create flexible and wearable materials that can move with the body. They have found themselves turned into clothing and shown on several runways since their debut, however I don’t think I’ve seen as well-known a designer incorporate so many 3D printed fabrics into their collections before. Nor have we seen the materials quite so wearable before. Leonovich has ever said that all of her clothing can be thrown directly into a washing machine, something that would be inadvisable for most couture clothing.

Here is a brief video demonstrating 3D printed fabric:

For a designer, a fashion show during New York Fashion Week is sort of like the Super Bowl. It is a moment where your designs are put on an international stage, and they can make or break you. Designers regularly take risks with their designs and show productions, but Leonovich didn’t really do either here, itself a bit of a risk.

Don’t get me wrong, her designs were just as interesting as her previous collections, but they were presented simply, with little accessorizing in front of a stark white background. While many of her designs were lovely – I’m especially fond of this wonderful asymmetrical top – they were tame compared to previous seasons. She used classic and simple silhouettes, giving her collection a subdued feel. While she employed some interesting weaving and draping, it seems she saved her risk for her choice of fabrics and construction materials, because that is where her designs really stood out.

“I wanted to utilize this innovation in a way that would be wearable to the fashion consumer,” Leonovich explained. “It is natural for artists to try to take a new technology to the limit when it is first introduced but I see it as a new construction method which is the future of everyday clothes.”

The very concept of 3D printed textiles seemed rather confusing to many of the journalists, bloggers and fashionistas who covered her show. Many of them assuming only the accessories and embellishments were 3D printed. But in actuality almost all of the fabrics are 3D printed, and because they are coupled with clean and classic designs it really shows off how incredible the material is, and how flexible and wearable clothing made with it can be.

So far it looks like the fashion world loved Leonovich’s 3D printed clothing, so expect to see some of these materials adapted for use in mainstream fashions within the next few years. Currently the entire collection is not up at Leonovich’s website, however several fashion blogs and websites have dozens of pictures of the show online. And you can take a look at a brief video – courtesy of Idiosyncratic Fashionistas – of the final walk of all of her designs here: