PRETTY IN PLASTIC

Avant-garde fashion collective, threeASFOUR, flaunted their new 3D printed dress at the New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2017.

The eye-catching plastic dress, named Oscillation, is the highlight of threeASFOUR’s Quantum Vibrations collection. “We got very interested in the geometric shapes which lie beneath vibration,” says designer Gabi Asfour. “We spent a long time researching them and discovered that there are very specific formations that happen under certain frequencies. These formations reminded us of prints and other designs, a bit like tribal tattoos.”

The intricate dress designs are a collaboration of threeASFOUR and designer Travis Fitch, and Stratasys, a 3D printing company took over the printing of the dresses. This particular dress in question is composed of 30 separate multi-material, multi-color 3D printed parts, assembled from 270 design files.

In an interview by DigitalTrends Asfour said:

“We approach 3D printing as a source of tactile fabrics of the future, which can have some very special properties. For example, we see the possibility of materials that are heat resistant or cooling, things like that. Right now, we’re still at the start of that journey — and what interests me is the possibility of different interlocking weaves that would not be possible to achieve in any other way. The same is true of the shapes you can achieve compared to traditional fashion cutting methods. 3D printing is both function and form.”

PRINT A DRESS

With the success of the 3D printed dress, it may not be long before designers begin mass producing this type of apparel. Even further into the future, we could be printing our own clothing at home. Have nothing to wear? Go and print something, quick!

3D printing is truly one avenue of the future of fashion. It may seem industrial, at times. But the dresses look anything but. In fact, they’re quite pretty.

“I think it’s going to alter the fashion industry enormously — and in ways we can’t even start to imagine yet,” said Asfour.

Still on the fence of this new trend? Here are some other stunning creations from different designers that might change your mind: