Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting the
international textile show Textworld. It was hosted at the Jacob Javits Center
in New York City and the event displays innovative clothing, textiles, fabrics
and materials, and is a sourcing opportunity for those in the industry,
allowing them to further establish upcoming trends.
Whilst
at the event, and as I reflect back on it, one booth really stands out to me.
HEISEL is a design lab that aims to create sustainable fashion through that use
of technology and 3D printing. Before visiting this booth and speaking with
their representative I had very little knowledge of the roll 3D printing could
play in fashion, but after speaking with a representative I feel so excited
about its future in the industry!
3D printing is able to create an array of
garments in varying sizes, colors, patterns, textures and cuts. The HEISEL
booth was extremely interesting and knowledgeable, and had a few examples of
pieces they have designed and created, which are very eye catching.
One
of the most exciting things about the 3D printing playing a major role in the
future of the fashion industry is that it only produces very minimal waste.
This dress is an example of what HEISEL designed and produced using 3D
printing. Each piece is printed individually and each row is a different
design. This small, key ring like, piece is one of about 15-20 of the same
pieces that make up all the waste from this dress. It is crazy to imagine a
world where we will be able to create garments of this size that produce such
little waste.
This specific dress is made out of bio
plastic, however, they also displayed swatches of some other materials they
use, some of which are made form completely compostable material. They also make
things out of a corn by product, very similar to disposable cutlery, but turned
into a textile. This textile will last in your closet without any problems, because
long as it is in the air it will survive. However, once it is buried in any way
it begins to decompose.
Their end goal is to develop fashion that
has zero waste and is compostable, breaking down once it is disposed of. This
will mean that as consumers we can still have garments for a short amount of
time, but once we get rid of them they will break down, as opposed to having to
be dumped in landfill. This will redefine the fast fashion industry, and could
allow it to become an industry that has both a prominent and sustainable
future.
I didn’t have the chance to visit this brand and I think the 3D printing for clothes is a very good idea. One of its major value is that 3D printing cuts very precisely and in consequence there is less waste. The only thing is that for the moment it costs a lot and in my opinion doesn’t go that fast which could be not profitable for the brand (unless technologies keep improving) but they will have to consider it as a big issue.
ReplyDeleteOlivia, I am excited that you are now more aware of 3D and the many possibilities and opportunities it holds for fashion. I LOVE how you discuss the materials and the compostability of the 3D printed items. Well done! I wonder if the bio-plastic brings any nutrients to the soil once it decomposes? I am so glad you learned so much at Texworld and thank you and great post!
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