Fashion Industry Forum

The concept of 3D printing is kicked off to cater customisation for each body – that is to say, specially made for you to give you best fit. 3D Printing clothes are using prototypes where one can easily change the size, colour and shape of an object on a computer at no extra cost. “Made to fit” concepts are no more a dream unlike in traditional couture garments which required complex assembly of techniques. The only thing required to actualize this, is a printer at home.

Almost three years ago, Dita Von Teese stormed the runway with the first fully articulated 3D printed mesh gown and introduced the 3D concept in fashion industry. This first 3D gown was designed by Michael Schmidt and Francis Bitonti. From then, this concept has been used and experimented by various others in the fashion industry. They have used 3D printers to sculpt their creativity, which seemed far from traditional imagination.

90% of the companies which use 3D printing technology consider it to be their competitive advantage in strategizing themselves. Some of the benefits for holding yourself 3D Printing clothes are:

1. Quick: With 3D printers the overall mechanism of working is at fast pace. From completely designing the archetype on the software, to making design decision and changes are all done at one go.
2. Save on Costing: Cost saving in terms of labour, fabric and tool / machinery. Though using a regular machinery and 3D desktop and printer do not bring an ounce of cost saving, but the major advantage is seen in terms of labour resource and fabric wastage.
3. Design freedom: You imagine a design and the 3D printers give you the exact output. The complex geometries, orientations, and figures can be easily materialised. The restrictions of traditional manufacturing are overcome by additive manufacturing for producing 3D printing clothes.
4. Tailor fit for each: a complete set of personalisation is achievable due to such types of 3D printers. Different types of shapes, sizes, colour, etc., can be customised for having the best comfort one can fabricate.
5. Reduce Wastage: This new technique makes sure that the overall manufacturing of 3D printed clothes is sustainable. The wastage which ensue due to milling or turning is overcome by 3D printers, since they only use the material needed to build that part. Most of these 3D processes use fabrics which are effortlessly re-used and recyclable in the future.

In spite of witnessing various benefits which the 3D printers can impart to fashion industry, they fall short when it comes to the traditional clothing. Initially, these 3D printing clothes posed a problem of being too stiff, almost like body armour. Though bringing flexibility overcame such stiffness, but the overall human touch and approach is something which still goes missing. And, these 3D printed clothes cannot match to fabrics like cotton, which forms the basis of clothing.

Hybridisation, which includes 3D printed styles paired with old modelled cotton fabric, or multi-layering of these among themselves, is something which might set the trends for future of 3D printing clothes. The concept of 3D printers and clothing will evolve the customary concept of mass production to mass customisation. The adaptation to this new drift can also be seen by the predictions of already existing players in this technology, which say that their overall spending on additive manufacturing will increase by 72%.