Forget about shopping! Soon you’ll download your new clothes! Danit Peleg, the 27-year-old designer that lives in Tel Aviv, presented her 5-piece fashion collection entirely 3D-printed using home printers, last year, in New York.
Her collection received very good feedback at Maker Faire, the Greatest Show on Earth, a family-friendly festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness. Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs and artists. It is designed to be forward-looking, showcasing makers who are exploring new forms and new technologies, but it also features innovation and experimentation across the spectrum of science, engineering, art and craft.
I took an exclusive interview to Danit Peleg about her unique fashion collection and to design fashion with new technologies, 3D printers.
What was the biggest challenge in making a 3D collection? It took you over 2000 hours…
It would be finding the right material to use and the time, how long it takes to print the clothes. Initially I only worked with PLA, which is a hard and breakable plastic. It was really hard to make anything comfortable with that. It took me a month to figure out the right way to do it with FilaFlex. And when printing clothes it takes about hundreds and hundreds of hours to make but I believe in the future, when the technology advances, people will be inventing new printers that can print 100 times faster compared to what I use now.
What was the first object in 3D print you’ve made?
After all the research and experimenting with samples, the red jacket was the very first successful piece I’ve printed/made using a home 3D printer.
What is your favorite piece of the collection?
The red jacket is my favorite piece and it was also the most challenging piece. I am emotionally attached to it because it was the first one I made and because it says “LIBERTE” on it which means “freedom” in French, which is what I felt, freedom, while working on this project.
How long did it take you to create each garment?
It took 400 hours per outfit. The red jacket took 300 hours for example. The whole process cost me around $2500 USD, but I got sponsored for a lot of the materials by Recreus the company who does FilaFlex, and also by a local 3D printing store called TechFactoryPlus.
How comfortable are the 3D-printed clothes?
It still feels comfortable but it’s a completely different experience. My clothes feel like nothing you’ve felt before. The garments feels like rubber and you can bend with ease or be flexible about it. Hopefully in the future we will see more materials available for 3D printing, textiles made from cotton or polyester. Materials that are more familiar with fashion.
Why would someone wear 3D-printed clothes instead of classic textile?
Good question. People right now are very adventurous and experimental when it comes to fashion. I think a lot of people are willing to try new designs and techniques when it comes to clothes so I believe people will respond to this kind of fashion positively and excitedly. And I think in the near future, 3D printed clothes can feel like regular textile.
You said technology will help give designers more independence in the creation process. Why do you feel designers are not independent now?
Designers now rely on the different types of fabric and patterns that they can get their hands on in the market. Let’s say if this particular designer wants to make an outfit but cannot get the desired materials then he cannot make what he has envisioned. With my process you can create and invent all the patters and designs you desire.
Do you think this could be the future of fashion, writing at home your own clothes?
If the technology does improve, then yes, this could be the future of the fashion industry. The magnitudes are huge. There will be less shipping costs and most importantly the democratization of design anyone could design clothes. And most importantly you can print it in your home.
How many 3D printers did you use for the entire collection?
For my first collection I had about 6 printers working non-stop 24/7.
If you were to sell one piece of the collection how much will it cost?
The Liberte Jacket for example would be around $3000 because it tooks 300 hours to make.
What’s your next challenge?
Right now my next challenge is that I want to make a swimsuit line. It is going to be a hybrid. I will combine fabric and 3D printed textiles.
What’s your favorite fashion designer? And your industrial designer?
Olivier Rousteing from BALMAIN and Iris Van Herpen are my favorite designers. BALMAIN makes unique and trendy textiles, which are extremely fine and desirable. Van Herpen’s work is always fascinating to me and inspiring.
Where do you find your inspiration?
I take inspiration of the things that surround me, my environment so to speak. I take pictures of complex architectures and sculptures around my urban life in Tel Aviv and now when I’m travelling with my collection I’m getting new inspiration around the world.
Foto: Daria Ratiner
The process. How Danit Peleg 3D-Printed a 5-piece fashion collection at home.
Her experimentation desk. She used Witbox printers.
Danit had about 6 printers working non-stop 24/7 for the entire collection.
Danit wanted the models to wear 100% 3d-printed materials – including the shoes.
The first piece the designer focused on was the “LIBERTE” jacket. She modeled it using a software called Blender.
It would take more than 2 000 hours to print the collection.
A 5-piece fashion collection entirely 3D-printed using home printers.
In November 2015, Danit was invited to TED Talks to tell the world about the future of fashion…
