ON 3D PRINTING, INNOVATIVE TEXTILES, AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES…

The technology of 3D printing interests me very much! I recently developed a new neckpiece in collaboration with Freedom Of Creation. I definitely want to keep working with it, especially since I think there is much more to explore and develop. When it comes to incorporating it in a garment I think there are many challenges to overcome. My aim would be to create a surface that is more flexible and wearable, so it doesn’t become a static object or shape surrounding the body but a texture that moves with the body. With my designs I often start from the material. I research it’s qualities and the way it acts on the body. This results in a sculptural aesthetic. (Pauline’s 3D printed shoes above, and neckpiece below.)

Of course there are also other upcoming technologies that I’m drawn to. Actually I always prefer to work like a researcher. I like to work with new materials or techniques especially because it’s often an experience full of surprises and something from which I learn a lot.

ON ‘HER’ SUSTAINABILITY AND TIMELESSNESS…

I’m not a sustainable designer in a way that I work with ecological fabrics/materials. Sustainability is not neccesarily my starting point, but it’s something that plays a role within my vision. My work is not trend based and I want my designs to be modern and timeless. It does appeal to me to in the future develop a certain method of fabrication or construction of my designs that can be sustainable.

ON HER RECENT PROJECTS…

Recently I developed an electronic garment with flip-dots (below). During a one month Artist in Residency in Vienna (August 2012), I developed my “Flip-Dot Dress” in collaboration with engineer/robot hacker Daniel Schatzmayr [AT]. This interactive garment is made up of 600 kinetic flip-dots, small magnet-activated discs. I got fascinated by flip-dots because of the fact that they merge both analogue and digital technology. They have a physical presence and tactility, emphasized by their flickering sound, that nowadays digital technology often lacks. The dots can be individually addressed by a computer to animate mesmerizing patterns swirling around the body.

Next to this new piece I’ve used several unconventional materials in my previous collections. I’ve worked with ‘synthetic crin’, a braided nylon mesh,’buntal’ which is a woven wood fiber from the Philippines and a certain type of material that is used to reinforce the inside of car tires. Working with unconventional materials and new techniques challenges me to investigate the application, processing and finishing of it in a garment.

ON COLLABORATING…

I really enjoy collaborating with other companies, designers or engineers. Especially when it comes to a certain disciplines or knowledge I’m not familiar with. I’m very eager to learn and love to experience new things. I’m constantly driven by my own curiosity- since it always teaches a lot and gives new perspective. I think it would be super interesting to design a space suit. At the moment I’m working with a company that makes bulletproof vests, which is also an exciting product!

ON HER MOTTO ‘INNOVATION IS THE ONLY WAY FORWARD’ AND THE INDUSTRY’S FUTURE…

I think the industry will be forced to think more forward and work more and more in a problem solving way; certain systems can’t last forever and changes need to be made. I think technology supports the ever evolving nature of design. Fashion is always rapidly changing and can therefore incorporate the newest developments. Young designers are not as much ‘stuck’ in the system as bigger companies can be, which makes them more flexible, inventive and innovative.

ON FASHION AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH TECHNOLOGY…

Technology can make a huge difference. It’s interesting to look at developments in high performance sportswear, for instance how they develop suits that reduce drag. And especially also intelligent clothing designed for military or space applications have amazing features. Topics like intelligent design of digital crafting really interest me. Personally I’d like to focus on material explorations on the body and investigate how garments could help us interact or could support our movements or even thoughts/feelings. But overall much more research needs to be done to incorporate fashion technology in social life.

ON TAKING FASHION TECHNOLOGY FURTHER THAN NOVELTY AND GADGETS…

Yes it definitely can go further than that. Regarding wearable technology, we are just at the start of it. If you look at what’s possible with new developments in nano technology or if you look at the technology in high tech combat suits and space suits. Also electronics are becoming increasingly smaller, flexible and stretchable. I think it’s highly important to be very critical in order to move ‘fashion tech’ forward and make it more substantial, conceptual and relevant. It needs to move away from being gadgets.

ON WHAT’S NEXT…

At the moment I’m working on the development of a new collection which also incorporates new shoe designs and accessories. The focus lies on material exploration and researching the space between the body and the garment. Next to this I’m involved in the application for a PhD in fashion and technology, but this request first needs to be honored.

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One of our favorite future pop artists ‘Unicorn Kid‘ has released yet another cyber-loving music video. Reminiscing hackers, 90s rave culture, and some british babes, it’s a shout out to the birth of our generations’ imagined digital youth culture.

Signed to 3 Beat Music, follow them for news about Unicorn Kid’s upcoming album. And, in the mean time- check out Unicorn Kid’s previous release ‘Need U’ here, for more digital futurism goodness.

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Sending one into flashbacks of Gaspar Noe’s colorstorm Enter the Void, a new short called True Skin by N1ON productions embraces a technicolored world too, but along the lines of a cyborg future.

Inspired by the ‘world of tomorrow’, it’s a “sci-fi short set in the not too distant future where augmentation is the way of life.”

As a “study of the future” set out by writer-director Stephan Zlotescu, True Skin is just the beginning.

WRITER AND DIRECTOR Stephan Zlotescu
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY H1
ORIGINAL MUSIC J-Punch
PRODUCER Christopher Sewall

MANAGER Scott Glassgold @ IAM Entertainment

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Cutting-edge technology can be presented as slick and cool, or incredibly entertaining. Soon, I’ll be submerging myself into its sector of robotics and cybernetics. But for now, I’ve just a lighthearted post of what’s to come.

Humanoids are the top of the food chain for artificial intelligence projects. With the creator of the Geminoid in Japan a handful of years ago, these androids are being made to look and act naturally like us.

One day our society will be post-human (nearing even another species), cyborgs, and humanoids… And, If you hop over to Tokyo you may be able to experience it sooner than ancient. But until then, check out a humanoid do something awesome like…Gangnam style!!!

And on another note… Michael Jackson:

The Asimo, the HPR-4, the NAO throwing a tantrum, and more:

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Ross Barber is not only cutting-edge in his approach to design, but he always considers the ultimate wearability. Staying on the forefront of technology in fashion, his current mission is to slowly integrate 3D printing into the market- as well as perfect and constantly evolve his technique.

Not alone, Ross is one of the few designers embracing CAD as their design platform. Sponsored by EOS, he created an ingenious mens footwear collection with the guidance of LCF’s Digital Studio.

From the release, he’s received numerous press, and his shoes have been sent round the world for exhibitions. His shoes have even more recently been the promotional front of the 3D Printshow in London, gracing the pages of Dazed&Confused, Wallpaper* Magazine and various online publications.


Until the 3D printing revolution pops, we’ve yet to experience his footwear coming out of our own ‘printers’ or even just to retail. Highly experimental, and with various prototypes- the flexible materials Ross has used are still in development, and not even close to being produced on a larger scale.

Even so, as quickly as the new iPhone comes round, we shall have our hands on more affordable ‘printers’. From Cubify to the Ultimaker, we can embrace the technology quicker, but until a higher quality hits the demand mark- even the idea of printing basic tools will be reserved for ultimate luxury.

To make your own print ideas reality now, from the comfort of your home, try Sculpteo‘s iPhone App, i.Materialise‘s upload + order, or the Shapeways online shop.

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Featured in both our debut film ‘Obedear‘ and Fashion Technology Grad Editorial ‘Prémonitions Sucrées‘ Hong Kong-bred, London-based Elly Cheng is a designer not to miss. Her love for color bleeds through to her designs, topping them off with a slight punk edge.

For her graduate collection, Elly was inspired by her vivid childhood, her toys, and her mother and grandmother. Unsatisfied with materials to capture her nostalgia, Elly created her own textiles for her collection- digital printing florals and hand dyeing sheepskin ombree.

“When I started designing the collection, I attempted sourcing my fabric in Hong Kong and London, to find some soft, fluffy, and dreamy materials. Nothing caught my eye, so I decided to develop my own textiles with hand dyeing, wadding, and sheepskin along with gradient heat transfer paper.”

“I DECIDED TO DEVELOP MY OWN TEXTILES WITH HAND DYEING, WADDING, AND SHEEPSKIN ALONG WITH GRADIENT HEAT TRANSFER PAPER.”

“The process of creating a fabric is very complicated, and sometimes you don’t have a second chance to reform the mistake, time management and planning is always the main concern of my work.”

Striving for constant innovation, Elly claims it’s what allows her to be ‘unique’: “Clothes for me are a way to bring out personality, and also a way to be unique. My collection allows one to be individualistic through my ‘make it your own’ mentality.”

“MY COLLECTION ALLOWS ONE TO BE INDIVIDUALISTIC THROUGH MY ‘MAKE IT YOUR OWN’ MENTALITY.”

Elly studied in Hong Kong for three years before she was drawn to London College of Fashion for their excellent “practical and technical education.” With her course, Elly was able to be open minded about design, and absolutely creative with the facilities provided. LCF has the latest equipment for the fashion technology course, and gave her the design freedom she craved.

“THERE’S A STRONG IDENTITY WITH MY WORK.”

Elly starts each creation process when she’s inspired by a certain ‘emotion’. She then tries to harness that emotion through visual photography, which finally allows her to have a platform to “transfer it [emotion] into texture”. “This is how I’m able to birth a collection.”

Elly’s ultimate high is engaging people with her inspirations and her garments: “I enjoy sharing things I like with people, and especially something I created.” This social aspect to her design process is what keeps her going- to create and expand herself. “I aim to have my own brand in the very near future, so I can keep sharing my beloved works.”

To peak inside Elly’s bright world, follow her on Tumblr, and if you’d like to get in touch, here’s her Showtime.

Image Credits: Elly Cheng Ka Ying, Vrag Mag, Shelley Jones.

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Next Friday is London’s 3D Printshow, featuring the most innovative designers and companies producing the revolutionary technology. From seminars to exhibitions- fashion designers and architects alike will be presenting their use of 3D printing and revealing the near future.

(Top Images: Daniel Widrig, Ross Barber. Bottom: Stephanie Lempert, Jordan Hodgson.)

With a display of EOS sponsored, LCF graduate collections, to Iris Van Herpen with i.Materialise, and her architect Daniel Widrig- it’s an event not to miss.

Grab your tickets for the final show ASAP, and check out our ‘Prémonitions Sucrées‘ film to start drooling over some of the exhibitors (LCF Graduates: Ross Barber, Hoon Chung, Francesca Smith, and Kay Kwok are featured).

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For the V&A, Futurist Keiichi Matsuda took his augmented reality tech, jumbled it up, and collaborated with several graphic designers. His mission was to create the crowd-driving ‘Prism’ (Digital Art) installation during London Design Festival.

Somewhat an introduction to how we will be able to monitor our surroundings’ digital information- the ‘Prism’ revealed eye-catching live feeds of everything from Boris Bikes to the Thames’ water level.

Constructed out of steel and traditional Japanese paper, the Prism hung alongside the guts of the V&A. With its tip poking through the ceiling, only the people who knew where to look up, could spot it. To get closer, a pre-booked tour was in order along with a liability waiver. Up several winding staircases, the Prism was alive in a dark inner space and concluded with its final level revealing a 360° view of the city.

Keiichi explains it best, so watch the video, and see the ‘real time’ graphics here:

Read more about Keiichi’s Augmented Reality projects here, and follow him on KeiichiMatsuda.com.

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Sculpted in CAD, Francesca Smith‘s Graduate Jewellery was 3D printed with the idea of a very humane ‘Memento’. From grasped hands to a Victorian cameo, Francesca mixed techniques of the past and present to create a timeless collection. With the ‘Prémonitions Sucrées‘ film, her hand ring was perfect to help depict our intimate yet innovative fashion story.

What moulded Francesca’s adoration for design was her daily exposure to textiles and mechanics: “I was brought up within a working class background and have always been very much informed by my parent’s professions. My father an engineer and my mother a seamstress, I have been constantly influenced by the two vocations. The contrast of engineering’s high precision, crafting of solid materials with the craftsmanship of sewing soft textiles has contributed towards my design style from a young age.”

“THE CONTRAST OF ENGINEERING’S HIGH PRECISION- CRAFTING SOLID MATERIALS WITH THE CRAFTSMANSHIP OF SEWING SOFT TEXTILES HAS CONTRIBUTED TOWARDS MY DESIGN STYLE.”

With her first collection revealing this dual influence almost literally- fabrics and 3D Printed materials were combined to balance the two, spawning her signature. Guided by the Digital Studio and Jewellery Design BA at London College of Fashion, Francesca was able to piece this all together- “I didn’t know what I wanted to be while I was at school but what I did know was that I loved being creative and making 3D objects. When I was 15 I was introduced to beading and friends and family seemed to love the pieces I was making, but did not think anything of it. Then while studying for my foundation I found myself designing jewellery pieces and was soon introduced to silver and goldsmithing but knew that traditional manufacture was not an acurate reflection of my personality. So when I found out about the fashion jewellery course at London College of Fashion I knew I had found my passion.”

“WHEN I FOUND OUT ABOUT THE FASHION JEWELLERY COURSE AT LONDON COLLEGE OF FASHION I KNEW I HAD FOUND MY PASSION.”

Going into her third year, Francesca approached her collection through her own problem solving methods: “I’m usually influenced by something which has happened in my life or something that completely captures my interest and provides questions that I can answer through design.” For her graduate collection, she confronted people with “the idea of positive remembrance and asking why remembering a person who has passed away can be such a taboo”.

“I’M USUALLY INFLUENCED BY SOMETHING WHICH HAS HAPPENED IN MY LIFE…AND PROVIDES QUESTIONS THAT I CAN ANSWER THROUGH DESIGN.”

With this, she submerged herself into research, and further into the innovative production of such a gothic answer. 3D printing was the ultimate choice, and brought her to look towards what’s to come- “I am a firm believer that production should be reintroduced into the UK and rapid prototyping (3D printing) is one of the most promising and personally accessible technologies to be introduced to product design and manufacture, it has been described as the bringing of the third industrial revolution. I chose to use 3D software and rapid prototyping because I wanted and still want to learn more about this technique’s applications and possibilities while its popularity increases so as to have a good understanding of what the future of manufacture may look like.”

“3D PRINTING IS ONE OF THE MOST PROMISING AND PERSONALLY ACCESSIBLE TECHNOLOGIES…”

“I used three types of computer software programs ‘Poser’, ‘Autodesk 3ds Max’ and ‘Freeform Modeling’ to create the virtual 3D designs which are 3D printable.” From several materials to chose from, Francesca went with Nylon Rapid Prototyping, then “incorporated these components with human hair and jersey fabric”. This “juxtaposition of materials and manufacture methods partnered the old with the new.”

“I find that a lot of people have become very interested in my collection and its process due to the use of rapid prototyping (3D printing). As awareness of this technology is limited to mostly product designers and designers I quite often find myself teaching people how the process works. This occasionally overshadows my actual designs, but I strongly believe in the future of rapid prototyping so am happy to explain the extent I know.”

“I STRONGLY BELIEVE IN THE FUTURE OF RAPID PROTOTYPING…”

“With this collection the concept is somewhat controversial, but is still very wearable, so it touches both the realms of couture and ready to wear.” Now on her own, Francesca hopes to step further into the industry with rapid prototyping as a junior designer and continue to build her own brand.

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For the ‘Prémonitions Sucrées‘ film I pulled from a handful of Fashion Technology graduates at London College of Fashion. One of the most iconic designers was Hoon Chung, with his 3D printed footwear supported by EOS. Selectively chosen, EOS sponsors one or two designers in the MA course to produce a collection with new materials and haptic machinery they have in development.

When discussing Hoon’s background, his approach is not design as one would expect- “I’m actually art based; I studied art in Korea and gained some experience, but was always interested in fashion. When I realised art would be difficult to make money in, I began to focus more on design, specifically fashion.”

He first began studying in Amsterdam, and upon a few conversations with a British student he was sold on London College of Fashion- “While studying in Amsterdam I was told there was a famous footwear institution in London, which is what led me to do my BA at Cordwainers. After that, everything happened quickly and naturally.”

“WHILE STUDYING IN AMSTERDAM I WAS TOLD THERE WAS A FAMOUS FOOTWEAR INSTITUTION IN LONDON…”

Curious how supportive an industry intertwined school LCF is, Hoon mentioned he was able to have a lot of industry experiences during the course. As he had studied footwear there for five years- this experience allowed Hoon to gain “a wide knowledge and understanding about footwear.”

“I’VE DONE MANY TRADITIONAL SHOES AS WELL BUT MY PREVIOUS WORK CAME FROM MY SHOE OBSESSION.”

Shortly after his AW12 collection went viral on design websites, Hoon presented the shoes at the LCF MA Graduate exhibition. He describes them as two parts of different 3D printed materials, binded by a non-glue construction. The top is a flexible, rapid prototyped material with the base being a pastel shell-like coated, modular component structure.

“When I started I didn’t have any aesthetic references yet, but the colour range comes from the Modernism design era. Most of the shoes are still based on the traditonal methodology of shoe making too. Mainly, I wanted to employ a new methodolgy and explore how to exchange the traditional industry with the future of it. Fortunately I got alot of support from the [LCF] Digital Studio and a sponsor for the heels. They spent the whole last year developing the methodology and finally this year, we finished the shoes.”

And for his relationship with EOS- “In development I tried to explore how to make something wearable so I didn’t want to use the organic material like leather and fabric. I only wanted to use the printable material but in the beginning there wasn’t a flexible enough material that offered support. I did alot of research into what properties the material would need and EOS agreed to sponsor my project and contribute a material that is still in development. That was a really stunning moment in the project, when it became a reality.”

“THAT WAS A REALLY STUNNING MOMENT IN THE PROJECT, WHEN IT BECAME A REALITY.”

The next step for Hoon’s footwear is unclear, but he’d like to produce the 3D printed footwear for stores, or even start off as bespoke. He’s also curious in branching out into other brands: “I’d like to work at a sportswear company like Nike, which are different to fashion shoes, yet they’re invested in the future of footwear development.”

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