Will Science Save Fashion?
The arts and the sciences have been regarded as realms that are polar opposites of each other for a long time.
However, the two concepts could not go together more fittingly. From combating issues of sustainability to creating clothing that serves a purpose. Fashion technology and its designers increasingly bringing the two together.
Fashion is wasteful
It is not a secret that the fashion industry is one of the biggest waste producers and polluters in the world. The process of making clothes is very costly. In order to make one tee-shirt or a pair of jeans it takes 5,000 gallons water. This results in 20% of global wastewater being produced by the fashion industry.
Additionally the fashion industry accounts for 10% of global greenhouse emissions. This is just the impact that occurs in making the actual clothes, consumers are also responsible. Around 70 pounds of clothes go to waste each year per consumer.
This waste of clothes is further mirrored in the luxury sector, most notably Burberry and the scandal they faced when it rose to light that they burned 36.5 million dollars worth of unsold clothes instead of selling them for discounted prices.
Is 3D printing the key?
3D printing recently hit the mainstream. In 3D printing, a 3D model is created through modeling software and saved as a digital file, the file is then exported to the 3D printer. Through the use of resin or other material, the printer then builds the object layer by layer, creating a real life 3D manifestation of the file.
3D printers range from $150 to several thousand dollars each, with an average cost of $700. The 3D printing process creates a product by adding only what is needed, therefore eliminating waste.
But through the wide range of materials available for printing (FilaFlex, soft PLA, and TPE) and the amount of options of 3D printers, a designer has many options and the ability to design exactly what their mind envisions.
Julia Daviy, a Miami-based pioneer
Julia Daviy, a fashion designer who uses 3D printing extensively in her work, has been able to create 3D printed leather, that in many ways surpasses animal-sourced leather.
She has also created the first ever 100% customizable printed skirt and the first 3D printed collection in the US Julia is able to control the texture, color, pattern and thickness of her creations through the 3D printing process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5GbLsRGxKE
She uses large format professional printers and feeds them combined filaments to create unique fabrics and materials. Julia's success has gotten her to speak at the CAAREM Conference and she will now be taking the stage at the FashionInnovation in New York City.
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Asher Levine: Fashion Tech to the red carpet
Asher Levine has been a 3D trendsetter since 2009 and has become known for his pioneering fabrication techniques and unique aesthetic.
An American fashion designer, he takes inspiration from naturally occurring geometry in nature and the environment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho59e-FH03s
His designs have caught the eye of many performance artists, most recently he was able to work with Lady Gaga in making a custom jacket for her Enigma show.
Although the process seems completely automated it is far from it, designers have to research and experiment with different materials, relying on science to support their creations.
All in all, Fashion tech designers are combing the realms of fashion and science, bringing the two together in a way that is creating strides to help the environment and innovating the future of fashion.