3D printing, formerly labeled Rapid Prototyping, has been in existence since the late 1980’s and we admit most of the buzz pertaining to this technology has gone straight in one ear and out the other ever since.  But now, 3D printing in fashion? You officially have our attention.  

 

 

Closer view at our 3D printed Harmonograph dress that will be displayed at the MFA - Museum of fine Arts Boston opening on March 6 throw July 10 as a part of #techstyle - new exhibition opening tomorrow! The dress is in collaboration with @fitchwork and @stratasys #3D #3d #3dprint #print #3dDress #dress #mfa #museum #exhibition #boston @mfaboston #3dprinting #harmonograph

A photo posted by threeASFOUR (@threeasfour) on Mar 4, 2016 at 1:15pm PST

 

This past NYFW, limit-pushing label ThreeASFOUR, led by Angela Donhauser, Adi Gil and Gabi Asfour, debuted two dresses, the Pangolin and Harmonograph, whose designs exhibit the incredible impact that this technology can have on the realm of fashion.  These dresses, designed in conjunction with Stratasys (a company formerly linked to collaborations with both Julia Koerner and Iris Van Herpen) utilize the brand’s unique multi-color, multi-material Connex3 3D printer.  Influenced by biological forms and natural geometries, these designs are intended to use the technology to it’s maximum and could not have been produced by means of conventional approaches alone.  They feature a nano-enhanced elastomeric material boasting a superior flexibility and durability not yet seen.  

Beautiful Backstage featuring @charlottecoquelin wearing our 3D pangolin dress in collaboration with @fitchwork And @stratasys picture by : @schohaja #beautiful #backstage #3D #3Ddress #dress #3Dprint #3dprint #fashionshow #models #runway #lasercut #pangolin #technology #fashionandtechnology A photo posted by threeASFOUR (@threeasfour) on Feb 21, 2016 at 11:44am PST

The Pangolin and Harmonograph can be found in ThreeASFOUR’s Biominicry collection; a line envisioned to display the endless possibilities that the marriage of technology and fashion beholds.  It’s an effort that’s intended to inspire both old and new designers to create without the limits that once restricted them.

“Our mission with 3D printing is to encourage designers to imagine without boundaries, empowering them to create avant-garde expressions of fashion. On a larger scale, we want to change the way people think about design and to redefine what is possible,” explained Stratasy’s Creative Director of Art Fashion Design, Naomi Kaempfer. “Collaborative projects with talented and visionary designers, such as threeASFOUR, are the ideal way to showcase to aspiring designers, students and creatives the types of organic and complex mathematical structures that can become a physical reality with 3D printing.”

With that said, we’re excited to see what impact this technology will have on the future of fashion.  However, we remain concerned about the wearability of these garments.  While we love to admire at them as art forms, can they truly translate into the retail world?