The Connex multi-material 3D printers from Stratasys seem to be a favourite for fashion designers working at the intersection of their art and 3D printing technology. The latest person from this sector to engage and show case their Connex 3D printed work is award-winning Japanese designer Yuima Nakazato.
Nakazato is known for creating unique dresses for famed artists and celebrities, but the latest collection for 2014, features neo-futuristic sportswear produced with an Objet500 Connex multi-material 3D Printer. The collection was premiered in Minami-Aoyama Tokyo, Japan at the end of last month.
The concept of the collection is based on Nakazato’s vision of a neo-futuristic sport, or in his words: “young street punks, riding on motorcycles, playing a basketball-like sports game in an underground dune stadium.” For this imaginary game, Nakazato designed an original uniform and used the Stratasys multi-material 3D Printer to design bibs that combine numbers and images of human muscles, reflecting his artistic obsession with the idea of “clothing as an extension of the body.”
Sun Junjie, another young designer who collaborated on this project, worked to shape Nakazato’s imaginative vision, using 3D CAD software and the Stratasys multi-material 3D Printer. Starting with the modelling of a muscle fibre for the bibs, he used rubber-like and transparent materials simultaneously 3D printed to enable the clear, soft and flexible parts. These were then colored to achieve the desired look and feel.
“Without the Objet500 Connex multi-material 3D printing technology, it would never have been possible to make these complicated geometries in such a short timeframe. I made two or three design iterations with the help of prototypes for each piece before it was completed,” says Sun. “The Objet500 Connex is perfect for this kind of creative, iterative manufacturing. It provides amazing 16 micron precision, the multi-material capability and a variety of material choices.”
“Innovative technologies enable us to go beyond traditional limits. They will not only change reality, but also a world of imagination,” Sun explains.
Nakazato, whose professional fame was firmly established when he created stage costumes for Lady Gaga, agrees with Sun’s appreciation of 3D printing, he said: “3D printing is revolutionizing the industry. Traditionally, dress making is a short combination of planes and fabrics to make 3D shapes. But with more advanced materials available in the future, such as one with the feel of fabric, using a 3D printer we could create a dress of any shape instantly, just as it is imagined.”
Source: Stratasys
