Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen is introducing rapid prototyping to the catwalk, and her marriage of high-tech production methods with the old art of couture is getting fashionistas very excited.
Her spring/summer 2011 collection “Escapism” is the result of a collaboration with 3D printing service i.materialise where countless strips of plastic were cut with a selective laser sintering machine. These strips were then arranged into clothing, according to the designs digitally created by Van Herpen.
The result is very intricate and the ostentatious pieces would definitely not have been possible by hand. Escapism is about the addition to constantly escaping reality through digital entertainment. The collection also expresses Van Herpen’s own concept of escapism while also referring to mixing the possibilities of different forms of craftsmanship.
