3D-printers will shake up the fashion industry

After seeing the V Avenue Shoe Repair’s show at Stockholm fashion week, and reading an article recently titled “3D no longer only in cinemas”, I got intrigued and fascinated by the part 3D printers will play in the fashion industry and for the consumer. The Swedish brand mentioned above used one of these printers to create jewellery for their collection - gold-coloured, claw-like creations. This is not the first time the technique has been used, last year the brand Continuum created the very first bikini in nylon with a printer which is currently on sale (on their website).

If you’re wondering how all of this will works, you’ll download a three dimensional “print”, and then the printer will do the rest of the work; re-creating it layer by layer (an item can also be scanned in a 3D-scanner). You will be able to colour parts of the object but not in any material. In the near future people will be able to have 3D-printers at home, they’re getting cheaper as times goes by. Which means people who enjoy creating DIY-accessories will be able to print everything from necklaces to sunglasses - even a pair of heels.

There are endless possibilities for the creative mind but there’s unfortunately a negative aspect to it as well: it will be big business for people who make a living copying designer handbags and other accessories. Of course there are limits to which designs are in the danger zone, not everything is made in materials which can be copied. It’s hard to say how widely it’s going to affect the market and what the consequences will be for the industry.

I don’t want to speculate if there’s any similarities with what the music industry has gone through during the last decade, losing roughly half of their sales to downloading. It seems far-fetched to say a 3D-printer will make more people productive also wanting to print the things that are more easily bought. Many people buy fashion items for the quality and others for the brand name, which can never be replicated with a printer.