DIGITAL

The 3D Printing Revolution: What it Means for Fashion & Luxury

by

Elizabeth Canon

|

This is the featured image caption
Credit: This is the featured image credit

Elizabeth Canon of Fashion’s Collective, explains why 3D printing presents a huge opportunity in the manufacturing of fashion and luxury goods

Over the last decade, collaborations between luxury brands and contemporary artists have gone beyond mere artistic partnerships towards a new kind of luxury branding.

PARIS – Art and fashion have always developed side by side, for fashion, like art, often gives visual expression to the cultural zeitgeist. During the 1920s, Salvador Dalí created dresses for Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiapparelli. In the 1930s, Ferragamo’s shoes commissioned designs for advertisements from Futurist painter Lucio Venna, while Gianni Versace commissioned works from artists such as Alighiero Boetti and Roy Lichtenstein for the launch of his collections. Yves Saint Laurent’s vast art collection, recently auctioned at Christie’s in Paris, testified to his great love of art and revealed the influence of a variety of artists on his own designs.

In the 1980s, relationships between luxury brands and artists were advanced when Alain Dominique Perrin created the Fondation Cartier. In the Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, a book marking the foundation’s 20th anniversary, Perrin says he makes “a connection between all the different sorts of arts, and luxury goods are a kind of art. Luxury goods are handicrafts of art, applied art.”

The Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemparain building in Paris

Elizabeth Canon of Fashion’s Collective, explains why 3D printing presents a huge opportunity in the manufacturing of fashion and luxury goods

Elizabeth Canon of Fashion’s Collective, explains why 3D printing presents a huge opportunity in the manufacturing of fashion and luxury goods

3D printers have been around since the start of the 21st century, but as the electronic code that dictates what the machines produce becomes more sophisticated, and the machines become more affordable (Makerbots go for anywhere between $2000 – $3,000), 3D printing has become a hot topic with huge relevance today.

In a nutshell, 3D printing uses one machine to create a 3 dimensional object by adding thousands of layers of material together. Strings of digital code tell the machine how to distribute the layers and in what shape in order to create the final object.

Right now, the materials available to generate objects using a 3D printer are rather limited to metals, sandstone, ceramics and various types of plastic, but that’s set to change. Before jumping to the conclusion that this is not relevant to the luxury fashion industry, note the photo above, which we discovered on The Creator’s Project.

“ 3D printing uses one machine to create a 3 dimensional object by adding thousands of layers of material together ”

On the left is the finished product, worthy of a runway and a premium price tag. On the right is the prototype created by Brazilian designer Andreia Chaves to serve as the skeleton of the shoe, which she then covered with geometric mirrors through a hand-made leather making technique from Italy in order to create the finished product.

Even without creating an actual object, 3D printers can be used to cut precise patterns and moulds that can then be used to create any object, allowing designers and manufacturers to avoid excess material that is ultimately wasted.

One of the things that is so fascinating about 3D printing is the ability to rapidly create objects on-demand. Once the digital file (code) is sent to the printer, it can take mere minutes to create an actual object. Slight modifications to the code can then be made on the spot, and a revised version of the object can be created. Basically, you update the code to update the product traits.

“ Once the digital file (code) is sent to the printer, it can take mere minutes to create an actual object ”

Clearly, there is a big opportunity in manufacturing. In fact, in this year’s State of the Union address, President Obama cited 3D printing as a key to revolutionizing industrial manufacturing. (Imagine factories printing new parts? Or personally being able to print the replacement parts for your espresso machine at home rather than mail order it?).

For the fashion and luxury industries, in particular, 3D printing technology has significant implications for rapid prototyping and product customizations, like size and fit. Imagine if you could custom order the right size and fit of a product off the runway and receive it in 2 weeks?

Since products are created on-demand, there is also a strong opportunity for independent designers to circumvent the need for minimum manufacturing orders. Shapeways, a company pioneering 3D printing technology in our industry demonstrates their functionality in collaboration with accessories brand GothamSmith in this video:

As revolutionary as this all sounds, there have been important recent advances in 3D printing that can have an even more critical impact on our industry. Specifically, the founder of MakerBot (a leading 3D printing company), has unveiled a digital desktop scanner, which can scan an object and create a digital design file within minutes.

This file can then be sent to the 3D printer and a replica product can be produced on the spot. This means that you don’t need to understand how to design an object using software (like CAD). Instead, a series of cameras and lasers in the scanner create the design file automatically. This is sure to pose issues in counterfeiting that demand our industry’s attention.

But at this stage, the emphasis should be placed on the opportunity, rather than on the fear. One company making considerable strides using 3D printing technology in fashion is Continuum Fashion, whose sophisticated experimentation has lead to a 3D printed shoe collection, a (wearable) bikini made out of one continuous piece of material generated by code, and an application that allows a layperson to create an avant-garde little black dress in minutes.

To further investigate technology on Luxury Society, we invite your to explore the related materials as follows:

The New Customer Service Means Offering Convenience
The Latest Digital: Baselworld, Zegna & Ferrari
Why Luxury Brand Marketers Should Pay Attention to Mobile

Elizabeth Canon
Elizabeth Canon

Founder & President, The FC Tech Group

As the founder of FC Tech Group, Elizabeth is focused on leading the customer experience practice across luxury verticals. Her involvement in client work includes bringing research and audit results to life through executive education, prioritized action plans, and developing platforms of internal thought leadership within organizations.

DIGITAL

The 3D Printing Revolution: What it Means for Fashion & Luxury

by

Elizabeth Canon

|

This is the featured image caption
Credit : This is the featured image credit

Elizabeth Canon of Fashion’s Collective, explains why 3D printing presents a huge opportunity in the manufacturing of fashion and luxury goods

Over the last decade, collaborations between luxury brands and contemporary artists have gone beyond mere artistic partnerships towards a new kind of luxury branding.

PARIS – Art and fashion have always developed side by side, for fashion, like art, often gives visual expression to the cultural zeitgeist. During the 1920s, Salvador Dalí created dresses for Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiapparelli. In the 1930s, Ferragamo’s shoes commissioned designs for advertisements from Futurist painter Lucio Venna, while Gianni Versace commissioned works from artists such as Alighiero Boetti and Roy Lichtenstein for the launch of his collections. Yves Saint Laurent’s vast art collection, recently auctioned at Christie’s in Paris, testified to his great love of art and revealed the influence of a variety of artists on his own designs.

In the 1980s, relationships between luxury brands and artists were advanced when Alain Dominique Perrin created the Fondation Cartier. In the Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, a book marking the foundation’s 20th anniversary, Perrin says he makes “a connection between all the different sorts of arts, and luxury goods are a kind of art. Luxury goods are handicrafts of art, applied art.”

The Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemparain building in Paris

Elizabeth Canon of Fashion’s Collective, explains why 3D printing presents a huge opportunity in the manufacturing of fashion and luxury goods

Elizabeth Canon of Fashion’s Collective, explains why 3D printing presents a huge opportunity in the manufacturing of fashion and luxury goods

3D printers have been around since the start of the 21st century, but as the electronic code that dictates what the machines produce becomes more sophisticated, and the machines become more affordable (Makerbots go for anywhere between $2000 – $3,000), 3D printing has become a hot topic with huge relevance today.

In a nutshell, 3D printing uses one machine to create a 3 dimensional object by adding thousands of layers of material together. Strings of digital code tell the machine how to distribute the layers and in what shape in order to create the final object.

Right now, the materials available to generate objects using a 3D printer are rather limited to metals, sandstone, ceramics and various types of plastic, but that’s set to change. Before jumping to the conclusion that this is not relevant to the luxury fashion industry, note the photo above, which we discovered on The Creator’s Project.

“ 3D printing uses one machine to create a 3 dimensional object by adding thousands of layers of material together ”

On the left is the finished product, worthy of a runway and a premium price tag. On the right is the prototype created by Brazilian designer Andreia Chaves to serve as the skeleton of the shoe, which she then covered with geometric mirrors through a hand-made leather making technique from Italy in order to create the finished product.

Even without creating an actual object, 3D printers can be used to cut precise patterns and moulds that can then be used to create any object, allowing designers and manufacturers to avoid excess material that is ultimately wasted.

One of the things that is so fascinating about 3D printing is the ability to rapidly create objects on-demand. Once the digital file (code) is sent to the printer, it can take mere minutes to create an actual object. Slight modifications to the code can then be made on the spot, and a revised version of the object can be created. Basically, you update the code to update the product traits.

“ Once the digital file (code) is sent to the printer, it can take mere minutes to create an actual object ”

Clearly, there is a big opportunity in manufacturing. In fact, in this year’s State of the Union address, President Obama cited 3D printing as a key to revolutionizing industrial manufacturing. (Imagine factories printing new parts? Or personally being able to print the replacement parts for your espresso machine at home rather than mail order it?).

For the fashion and luxury industries, in particular, 3D printing technology has significant implications for rapid prototyping and product customizations, like size and fit. Imagine if you could custom order the right size and fit of a product off the runway and receive it in 2 weeks?

Since products are created on-demand, there is also a strong opportunity for independent designers to circumvent the need for minimum manufacturing orders. Shapeways, a company pioneering 3D printing technology in our industry demonstrates their functionality in collaboration with accessories brand GothamSmith in this video:

As revolutionary as this all sounds, there have been important recent advances in 3D printing that can have an even more critical impact on our industry. Specifically, the founder of MakerBot (a leading 3D printing company), has unveiled a digital desktop scanner, which can scan an object and create a digital design file within minutes.

This file can then be sent to the 3D printer and a replica product can be produced on the spot. This means that you don’t need to understand how to design an object using software (like CAD). Instead, a series of cameras and lasers in the scanner create the design file automatically. This is sure to pose issues in counterfeiting that demand our industry’s attention.

But at this stage, the emphasis should be placed on the opportunity, rather than on the fear. One company making considerable strides using 3D printing technology in fashion is Continuum Fashion, whose sophisticated experimentation has lead to a 3D printed shoe collection, a (wearable) bikini made out of one continuous piece of material generated by code, and an application that allows a layperson to create an avant-garde little black dress in minutes.

To further investigate technology on Luxury Society, we invite your to explore the related materials as follows:

The New Customer Service Means Offering Convenience
The Latest Digital: Baselworld, Zegna & Ferrari
Why Luxury Brand Marketers Should Pay Attention to Mobile

Elizabeth Canon
Elizabeth Canon

Founder & President, The FC Tech Group

As the founder of FC Tech Group, Elizabeth is focused on leading the customer experience practice across luxury verticals. Her involvement in client work includes bringing research and audit results to life through executive education, prioritized action plans, and developing platforms of internal thought leadership within organizations.

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