Crosslab Events: High Tech Fashion (part two)

‘When Fashion meets Technology’ is the subtitle for this evening, packed with radical fashion sense. Organised by Crosslab Events, a platform for digital media, initiated by the Willem de Kooning Academy and Hogeschool Rotterdam.
Imaterialise is the company of Fried Vancraen and is a sister company of materialise. They specialise in 3D-printing. the mother company focusses on medical supplies and technical implementations, Imaterials serves the design and fashion industry.
What are the possibilities for this production material in the world of design and fashion?



Limitations vs. Revolution
It seems like magic. You feed a computer your design and a printer materializes it for you. No human labour needed. A revolution for the world of fashion!
‘Imagine never having to throw your clothes away’, says Vancrean.‘You can simply upgrade them every season.’
However, it currently takes more than 24 hours to build a design higher than 5 centimeters, so the future of 3D-printing for now lies at flat objects.


Melonia shoes - Naim Josefi

Enviroment
3D-printing is not a green subsitute for sweatshops per se, they use thermoplastic materials to realise their objects. However, they are looking into using recycled plastic. Because it uses precisely the amount of raw material it needs for the design, 3D-printing leaves no waste.



How to be succesful
Vancrean gave young designers and fashion students a step by step outline to succes, it consisted of the following steps:
1. Make products, not concepts.
2. Turn assignments into products
3. Find a way to get it made
4. Make a website
5. One that does not suck
6. Sell your product on it
7. Learn how to market your own success

Sounds easy enough. Yet many students ‘fall into the pit of exclusivity, wanting only to design for high end products. And thus having a minimal influence on the development of their profession.’

A refreshing view on fashion and design, indeed.

Back to part 1