• About me
  • Contact Me

Fuel4Fashion

~ The official blog of Supriya Ghurye, Founder of a niche Freelance Fashion Designer Agency & Brand Consultant helping international start up fashion labels and growing fashion brands to plan and create great products from concept sketches to final launch.

Fuel4Fashion

Monthly Archives: October 2015

3-D Printing Becomes Haute Property

29 Thursday Oct 2015

Posted by Fuel4Fashion in Technology & Innovation

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

3D printing, additive manufacturing, fashion innovation, fashion technology, tech in fashion, wearable tech

3D printing technology is making its presence felt in the fashion industry with an increasing number of new designers experimenting with wearable designs made using 3D printers. In 2011, 3D printing made waves in the fashion industry when TIME Magazine named Iris van Herpen’s 3D printed dress one of the greatest inventions of the year. She presented two more designs in 2013, followed a few months later by Michael Schmidt and Francis Bitonti, who designed a 3D printed dress for burlesque icon Dita Von Teese. While this classifies itself as art, many new designers like Nadir Gordon are embracing the technology as the fashion technique of the future. At the same time, technology has evolved to give 3D printed materials fabric-like feel and finish. With this, 3D printing is moving out of the realm of the jewelry and accessories designers and into mainstream fashion garments.

3D technique used for Gordon's swim suit collection(Image Source: http://3dprinting.com)

Gordon’s swimsuit design comprises of 14 parts separately printed and fused together to get the final garment. The total production time was 70-90 hours. Definitely not something for mass production right now, but the future will see faster printers and easier 3D conversion techniques to improve the speed. This year, Paris Fashion Week saw the unveiling of a completely wearable dress that prints in one single folded piece. Created by designers Jessica Rosenkrantz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg using Nervous System’s 4D printing system and produced at Shapeway’s New York City factory, the dress comprises of thousands of panels connected by hinge joints, which adjust to the body shape as it is worn.

Collection created using Using Kinematics – Nervous System’s 4D printing system (Image Source: http://www.shapeways.com)

Using Kinematics – Nervous System’s 4D printing system that creates complex, foldable forms composed of modules – designers Jessica Rosenkrantz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg created a completely wearable dress that prints in one single folded piece. It is made of thousands of panels connected by hinge joints and fluidly folds and conforms to the body as it is worn.

Fashion design student Danit Peleg has created another wave by designing a collection without even having knowledge of additive printing, which is the technology on which 3D printers presently work. Her collection of dresses, tops and skirts have contemporary lines and look like clothes that can be worn. Although it took her 2000 hours to create the entire collection, she has raised interesting questions about whether the future of fashion will pass on to the masses or remain in the hands of select brands as it is today.

Danit Peleg collection of dresses, tops & skirts using 3 D printing technique(Image Source: http://www.sculpteo.com)

Kristina Dimitrova, whose Interlaced show brings together pioneers from the technology frontiers of fashion, believes that the fashion industry is increasingly accepting the embrace of technology and will see the two entwine in the future. Already major accessories brands like Heart & Noble and Exocet are featuring 3D printed creations, while Electroloom, another brand at the forefront of 3D printing, is in the process of printing fabric that can be directly used for garments. As designers start using 3D technology, manufacturers would look at ways to create more breathable wearable materials, says Shapeways’ Duanne Scott.

The technology implementation itself is very interesting. The core of 3D printing technology is known as AM or Additive Manufacturing. This involves adding layers upon layers of material to form the 3D shape, based on the 3D diagram or design provided, which is created from the sketches. Within AM a variety of techniques can be used to achieve different results for different materials. The various AM techniques include:

– Stereolithography (SLA): using liquid photopolymer resins and UV light

– Selective Laser Sintering (SLS): using non-metallic powdered laser sintering material

– Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS): similar to SLS, using metals

– Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM): using liquid metal extrusion through tiny nozzles

– Polyjet: spraying through multiple nozzles forming layers, and

– Binder Jetting: spraying liquid polymer to bind powdered material

(Source: http://www.shapeways.com )

This is extremely useful for rapid prototyping of designs and allows designers to see what the final product would look like in a matter of hours.
Why would new generation fashion designers be enamored with a technology that is still a few years away from mass adoption? The potential of its applications is enormous, and it can speed up the ready-to-wear fashion market significantly. Another key element is the fact that while customization of couture involves significant cost, it is next to nothing for 3D printing since it only involves modifications at the design level, without affecting material utilization or consumption.

However, the challenge that 3D technology faces is the question of potential counterfeiting. Since 3D technology recreates a shape, it is easy to replicate a design by a brand and pass it off as the original. Though the current capability to copy and mass produce using this technology is limited, its adoption in mainstream fashion will simultaneously raise the counterfeiting issue as well.

While these questions will continue to arise as every new technology makes its presence felt, 3D printing promises to bring new life to fashion design and the industry as a whole. With the parallel growth of technology in areas such as wearables, we might soon be wearing entire devices printed to our specifications and measurements. This is an exciting space to watch and new developments are expected to accelerate in coming days, even though it may be some time before 3D printed clothes actually reach critical mass and therefore become available to customers.


Supriya Ghurye is the founder and owner of Fuel4Fashion, the freelance fashion design studio for multiple product designing in apparels that caters to start-up fashion labels and growing fashion brands with a diverse portfolio of design services. She is a member of the Cherie Blair Foundation’s Women Entrepreneurship Program and has over a decade of fashion industry experience. Twitter , Instagram , Pinterest


Share this:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Pocket
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

A new approach to sustainable fashion

06 Tuesday Oct 2015

Posted by Fuel4Fashion in Emerging Trends

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Adidas zero waste soccer cleat, eco fashion, endlessly recyclable, ethical fashion, fair trade fashion, freelance fashion designer, recycle clothes, sustainability, zero waste fashion

The impact of fashion industry processes on the environment is increasing at an alarming rate. The world’s natural resources are being depleted at a rapid rate and cannot keep up with the growing demand for fast fashion. Water resources are one of the most heavily affected, with global demand for water exceeding supply in 2030 by as much as 40%. Fabric scrap and waste left over from garment manufacturing factories constitute 30-40% of waste generated by the textile and apparel industry.

Garment manufacturing factories generate landfill of of fabric scraps. Sustainable fashion is the only way to over come this crisis

Landfill of fabric scrap and waste left over

Sustainable fashion is the only way to overcome this crisis. Zero waste fashion, eco fashion, recyclable fashion, fair trade and ethical fashion are various forms of the sustainable fashion movement. Currently zero waste fashion is rapidly gaining traction amongst the fashion designer community.

Zero-waste fashion refers to items of clothing that generate little or no textile waste in their production. There are generally two strategies for zero-waste fashion:
1) Creative pattern making that uses 100% of a given material, and
2) Generating garments from remnant materials.

A recent example of sustainable fashion has been an initiative by Adidas the sportswear brand. With the “Endlessly Recyclable “Zero-Waste Soccer Cleat” , the company envisions a system where worn-out sportswear isn’t thrown away. Instead, it is broken down and remoulded with scrap material from other sources to create new products. The result is a product that can be recycled endlessly and prevent damage to the environment. Read complete article here.


Supriya Ghurye is the founder and owner of Fuel4Fashion, the freelance fashion design studio for multiple product designing in apparels that caters to start-up fashion labels and growing fashion brands with a diverse portfolio of design services. She is a member of the Cherie Blair Foundation’s Women Entrepreneurship Program and has over a decade of fashion industry experience. Twitter , Instagram , Pinterest


Share this:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Pocket
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 2,200 other subscribers
Follow Fuel4Fashion on WordPress.com

Top Posts & Pages

  • The Fashion Design Process
  • Top 5 Wearable Technology Adoptions by the Fashion Industry
  • Figuring Out Your Fashion Brand’s DNA, Part 1: The Building Blocks That Makeup Who You Are
  • The new fashion destination: Dubai
  • Changing trends in corporate uniforms
  • Highlights of Berlin Fashion Week
  • Guest Blog: How to Use your Passion and Education to Start a Fashion Business
  • The Product development process
  • Influence of African tribal fashion on the main stream fashion
  • Range Planning: From Inspiration To Product For A Women’s Clothing Line

Recent Posts

  • Figuring Out Your Fashion Brand’s DNA, Part 2: Fashion Marketing And More
  • Figuring Out Your Fashion Brand’s DNA, Part 1: The Building Blocks That Makeup Who You Are
  • The New Colour On The Block: Decoding Living Coral For Everyday Application
  • A Circle Of Colors: How The Pantone Color Of The Year Trend Started
  • Wearing Your Technology On Your Sleeve: The Wearable Tech Trends That Are Driving Fashion

Categories

  • Colors & patterns
  • Emerging Trends
  • Fashion Branding
  • Fashion Business
  • Fashion Design
  • Fashion History
  • Fashion Industry Processes
  • Fashion Week
  • General
  • Guest Blogger
  • Home Furnishing
  • Men's Fashion
  • New Fashion Destinations
  • Prints & embroideries
  • Styles & Trends
  • Technology & Innovation
  • Women's fashion

Blog Stats

  • 113,020 hits

Archives

  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2016
  • August 2016
  • March 2016
  • December 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • June 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • November 2013
  • October 2013

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com
  • RSS - Posts
  • RSS - Comments

Blogs I Follow

  • Stitch Diary
  • At Home with Mend It Aussie
  • Holly McQuillan
  • Fash Tech Lawyer
  • Draw A Dot | Fashion Illustration Community | Toronto Illustration Agency
  • Fashion Obsessive
  • dix & pond

Blog at WordPress.com.

Stitch Diary

At Home with Mend It Aussie

A journal to record the joy of our frugal lifestyle

Holly McQuillan

Fash Tech Lawyer

Fashion, Technology, Brands, Business, Law.

Draw A Dot | Fashion Illustration Community | Toronto Illustration Agency

Draw A Dot is a global fashion illustrator community. It is also an agency representing illustrators in Toronto, Canada.

Fashion Obsessive

My life as a Fashion Freelancer

dix & pond

Insider thoughts on fashion, trends, branding and retail

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Fuel4Fashion
    • Join 141 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Fuel4Fashion
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: