3D printing in fashion

3D printed fashion ranges from dresses to accessories to shoes. 3D printing has been a before and after in the fashion industry; and its application has been increasing in recent years.

3D modeling and additive manufacturing have brought numerous advantages to the creative process, being used for both prototyping and final part production. The ability to create complex shapes without molds allows the production of highly complex elements that could not be carried out by other processes.

However, 3D printing for the fashion industry still has certain limitations, which often restrict the use of many of these 3D printed creations to catwalks and catwalks.

Among the main elements that we can find printed in 3D are:

• Clothing
• accessories
• Footwear

3D Printed Garment

In the production of clothing through 3D printing, two aspects are differentiated: 3D printing of rigid garments and 3D printing of flexible garments.

Rigid garments usually start from a geometric structure and, thanks to the different 3D printing technologies such as (SLA, LCD, DLP or SLS), designs of great complexity and detail can be materialized. Thus, with this premise, forms and structures of great beauty and visual impact are generated. These garments are usually designed for fashion shows, since the rigidity of the materials does not allow the mobility that a garment requires to be comfortable.

Image 1. Design by Iris van Herpen in Crystallization. Source: Iris van Herpen.

On the other hand, there are the flexible mesh designs, which investigate the way to create fabrics through 3D printing. The most used materials are flexible, such as Filaflex, since they provide the necessary elasticity to adapt to the shapes and movements of the human body.

Comme des Machines, a sustainable and personalized manufacturing studio through 3D printing, has been working for some time at the Nora Project. An initiative through which they research and experiment with the aim of creating sustainable fabrics through 3D FDM printing.

Also noteworthy is the work of Israeli designer Danit Peleg. This designer has created a collection of fully 3D printed garments with desktop FDM 3D printers. Danit Peleg uses Filaflex Flexible Filament (TPE) when designing fabrics. Print the different parts of the pattern, and then assemble them to create the final garment.

Image 2. Collection of 3D printed designs. Source: Danit Peleg.

It isn't surprising that, in the search for 3D printing materials and technologies for the production of fabrics and garments, the most widely used technology is FDM and as material, FilaFlex (TPE); a highly elastic Elastomer thermoplastic, reaching 700% stretch to break, with a high coefficient of friction and great smoothness. Combining thin layers and different filling patterns, results are very similar to those of textile fabrics, with high quality and resistance.

3D Printed Accessories:

From bags to sunglasses, 3D printing has opened a universe of possibilities in the manufacture of accessories.

Thanks to 3D printing, you can create prototypes and manufacture final products in record time; Thus reducing costs and production times significantly.

However, the most prominent advantage is customization. More and more brands are manufacturing 3D products and offering customers the option of customizing them through the selection of colors, materials, etc.

XYZ Bag is an Italian brand of 3D printed bags that value this premise: personalization. Through its website you can customize the different models choosing reliefs, colors, and even adding the text that the user wants.

Image 3. 3D printed bag design. Source: XYZ Bags.

In the optics sector, you can find 3D printed glasses like those of OXYDO, an Italian brand of sunglasses.

Image 4. Design of 3D printed sunglasses from OXYDO brand. Source: OXYDO.

There is no exact information on what 3D printing technologies these brands use for the production of their items. However, due to the properties and demands of these types of products and the fact that many are made of nylon, they are probably made with SLS technology. This technology gives the pieces a great surface finish, as well as the mechanical properties associated with the material used.

SLS printers mainly use polyamide powder, a material widely used at an industrial level for its good mechanical properties and durability. In addition to polyamide, they can also print with elastic materials such as TPE and TPU; which can be very useful for 3D printing of fashion accessories.

The Polish company Sinterit has developed the first desktop SLS 3D printer. Sinterit currently offers two 3D printer models: Lisa and Lisa Pro, both with the same industrial 3d printing quality. Lisa is focused on those users who are starting out in 3D SLS printing, while Lisa Pro is the ideal 3D printer for those more demanding users who require higher printing volumes or a greater variety of materials. In addition to printers, Sinterit offers multiple accessories intended to simplify the preprocessing and postprocessing stages, or Sinterit Studio, a complete and simple software.

3D Printed Footwear:

Major brands in the footwear industry are constantly researching new ways to prototype, mass produce and customize their end products.

The most advanced manufacturers in the application of 3D printing in the footwear sector are undoubtedly the manufacturers of sports shoes such as Adidas, Nike or New Balance; They already print insoles and soles for their shoes.

Image 5. Nike Zoom Vaporfly Elite Flyprint shoes. Source: Nike.

In the case of Nike, it even develops and manufactures by means of 3D printing the upper part of the sports shoes, as in the case of the Nike Zoom Vaporfly Elite Flyprint.

Video 1: Nike Vaporfly Elite. Source: Runner's World España.

Fashion changes with the times and technological advances and, without a doubt, 3D printing already plays an important role in this industry, providing tools to develop and produce articles that were previously unthinkable.