Last year, we saw a preview of what 3D printing can create when it comes to clothing, but, let’s just say, one cannot survive on disposable underwear and Victoria’s Secret Angel wings alone. No fear, half-naked, tech-loving fashionistas, Electroloom is here!
Why 2014 Might be the Year You Start Wearing 3D Printed Clothes
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While you’ve been swearing off sweets and promising to yoga more in the New Year, a little company with a big idea is setting out to outfit us all in 3D printed clothing by the end of 2014.
Electroloom is a 3D printer from a company by the same name that hopes to create wearable wardrobe essentials like T-shirts and sweaters by year’s end. Still in the development stage, the Electroloom has help thanks to a recently-rewarded Alternative Grant from clothing company Alternative Apparel making the 3D printed tee of your dreams within arm’s reach. So far, the team has had success printing out polymer fabric as sheets and tubes, and names creating more complicated shapes and fibers that resemble cotton next on their (and, now, our) wish list.
If Electroloom makes good on its promise for futuristic fashion sooner than later, the industry as a whole is looking at an answer to more sustainable production with a way to create a wardrobe inside your home, no sewing machine necessary. And more than just making advances in at-home 3D printing, the company’s finished product will be one part social media experiment where figuring out what to wear is an experience where you can play designer, or choose from an online database of crowdsourced designs.
As Tim Gunn would say, we’re excited to see whether Electroloom can “make it work!”
What do you hope to see happen with 3D printing in 2014? Do you think fashion is the next frontier or do you want the focus to be on something else? Sound off below!
