With companies like Voxel8, 3D printing technologies are penetrating the fashion industry, particularly in haute couture. Additive manufacturing offers innovative new techniques for 3D printed clothing that not only give designers a cutting-edge tool for expressing their creativity but also allow them to connect with a fashion-forward audience.
If you are a fashion tech designer looking to get inspired, here are the top 3D printed clothing designers who are famous in the industry.
The mother of high-tech couture—Iris Van Herpen
With her Spring 2021 Couture, Iris Van Herpen continues to impress us with her new dialogue between fashion, nature, and technology. In this collection, she partnered with Parley, Adida’s recycled shoe manufacturing partner, and used upcycled marine debris to inject her designs with a unique yet sustainable spin.
Iris Van Herpen is known for her crazy structural wearables infused with technologies. She has worked with MIT Media Lab professor Neri Oxman in 2013 to create armors that acts like second skin. “The ability to vary softness and elasticity inspired us to design a “second skin” for the body acting as armor-in-motion; in this way we were able to design not only the garment’s form but also its motion,” explains Oxman. “The incredible possibilities afforded by these new technologies allowed us to reinterpret the tradition of couture as ‘tech-couture’ where delicate hand-made embroidery and needlework is replaced by code….”
Practice COVID-19 precautions with The Proximity Dress
Designed by Anouk Wipprecht, a Dutch fashion designer, the Proximity Dress combines elements of tech and fashion to create sensors that can detect movement near the wearer’s body. If someone gets too close to the wearer, the dress expands, forming a barrier between the wearer and the external stimuli. The dress was designed using Stratasys PolyJet technology and the SLS process.
Opt for sustainable fashion with zero-waste 3D-printed clothing
This 3D-printed dress is designed by fashion tech designer Julia Daviy. She sees 3D printing as a viable solution to move away from conventional fashion production to an environmentally friendly design and development. Designed using recyclable filaments, the skirt produces less than 1% waste, which makes it highly sustainable in a time where sustainability is much needed.
Print your own 3D dress with Danit Peleg
Danit Peleg loves to create 3D-printed garments to make this fashion tech trend accessible to everyone. Peleg wants to make sure that anyone can shop for her digital fashion designs, experience how the designs look through augmented reality, download the design file on NFTs, and print their own dress on any 3D printer.
Sustainable 3D printed collection by Zerera Studio
Using biodegradable filaments and garments, the ZRE collection design studio creates sustainable 3D-printed fashion that offers both stylish and eco-friendly choices for fashion enthusiasts. The studio is experimenting with other technologies, including a body scanner and a laser cutting machine, to create unique fashion articles that do more than just save the planet.
Get inspired by Julia Koerner’s collection
If you have seen Black Panther, then you are familiar with this fashion tech designer on our list. Julia Koerner created stunning costumes for the film in collaboration with Ruth E Carter harnessing the power of 3D printing to produce fine garment structures.
Accessory: 3D handbags with XYZ BAG
Next on our list is a CAD-modeled handbag collection that is customized based on the user’s preferences. Based in Italy, the company allows its customers to choose a design from 3 different product options and place the order.
The company then uses CAD technology to print the handbag. Originally, the company’s handbags were offered in a standard black color, but customers can also choose a different color, which will then be handpainted to give a seamless design. According to the company’s CEO, Annalisa Nicola, the 3D designs allow for greater freedom in terms of creativity.
If you’re looking for the latest emerging designers that we have our eyes on in 2021-2022, click here. And our latest update on the 3D printed fashion & accessory designers watch list for 2025 is here.
