As with every industry, digitization is about to disrupt the fashion industry. With the emergent of 3D printers anyone dreaming of a traditional couture clothes should be able to material it with a simple download from their devices. Fashion innovator, Danit Peleg has shown us that Traditional couture garment which require complex assembly of techniques that are specifically “made to fit,” has now moved into the comfort of any home that can afford a small desktop 3D printer.
The fashion industry was introduced to the 3D concept three years ago when Danit Peleg storm the runway with the first fully-articulated 3D printed mesh gown. These traditional garments are usually very expensive, inimitable and difficultto come across. The 3D printers are so futuristic that it enables any user to efficiently and accurately create his or her design ideas.
The fashion industry was first introduced to the concept of 3D design three years ago when fashioner designer Danit Peleg stun the runway with the first fully-articulated 3D printed mesh gown designed.
One of the benefit of this concept is that it is adapting clothes with all of the devices that we are accustomed to and the 3D fabrics are printed with our everyday materials such as nylon. The technology has inspired traditional fashion, and its gotten designers excited about what the next step will be.
Advantages of 3D printers
Cost saving
One of the advantages of 3D is that it’s replaces the expensive traditional methods of printing clothes thereby providing cost saving of up to 70%. It reduces the cost of shipping bulk fabric and packaging and provide a reliable raw materials such as the filaments used in printing the clothes.
Speed of printing
The speed of 3D printing helps to meet the rising needs of consumers immediate demands, and it helps to save the obsolete ways of stockpiling products in warehouses. This on-demand production leads to savings and also perfectionise the order to fit the consumers taste based on the informations/data from the available databases.
With this innovative technology, customers who have difficulty finding the specific size, color, and style can signal the attention of a representative who will take the specific information and input it into a computer system and in less than 30 minutes produce the desired taste.
Personalization
There are also the advantages of personalization especially in the shoes/boots section, customers with smaller calf that find themselves swimming in their boots can now have their measurement of their feet taking in all the right places and then produce the design and size that’s made-to-fit. Manufacturers are able to attain perfection through a full control of how the width and length of a boot design and customized it to fit the different shapes and sizes.
Sustainable initiatives
The 3D printing provides less waste due to its eco-friendliness, and this attributes also allows provides cost-savings. The launch of the 3D printing is allowing major fashion houses to take more initiative to uphold sustainability in the fashion industry. The digital nature of the 3D printing provides an avenue for brands to use recycled fiber for their products; reduces the use of electricity and transportation. With the 3D printing consumers can be rest assured what you have on is benefiting to the environment and as well cost saving.
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%.
Photo Credits: Danit Peleg
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