Materialise Helps Fashion Designers 3D Print Dresses for “Manus x Machina” Exhibit at the MET

Since October of last year, we’ve been well-aware of the influence that 3D printing technology would have at the technology-driven fashion exhibit that recently opened in the New York City-based Metropolitan Museum of Art. The exhibit, which is called Manus x Machina: Fashion in the Age of Technology, was put together by the Costume Institute’s curator Andrew Bolton, and examines the complex and increasingly intertwining relationship between handmade haute couture and machine-made prêt-à-porter.

“Traditionally, the distinction between the haute couture and prêt-à-porter was based on the handmade and the machine-made, but recently this distinction has become increasingly blurred as both disciplines have embraced the practices and techniques of the other,” said Bolton. “Manus x Machina will challenge the conventions of the hand/machine dichotomy and propose a new paradigm germane to our age of technology.”

Last week, we took a look at the 3D printed dress collection that was created by fashion designer Noa Raviv with the help of Stratasys, and today, we’ll examine the numerous dresses that the Belgium-based 3D printing service bureau Materialise has helped provide to the Manus x Machina fashion exhibit. Over the years, Materialise has collaborated with the Dutch designer Iris van Herpen, as well as the fashion collective threeASFOUR, which is comprised of designers Gabi Asfour, Angela Donhauser and Adi Gil, to help produce some of the most mesmerizing and modernized dresses in the entire exhibit.

Ensemble by Iris van Herpen with Daniel Widrig, from the 2010 “Crystallization” collection

For Iris van Herpen, her 2010 “Crystallization” collection marked the first time the designer had collaborated with Materialise, and was also the first time she’d ever utilized 3D printing technology for fashion purposes. Working with London-based architect Daniel Widrig, van Herpen’s first 3D printed dress collection was inspired by the dichotomy between fluid and solid liquids, particularly with the transformation of water into crystal. Following this complex and expansive fashion line, van Herpan than minimized her design with the 2011 “Capriole” collection, which was created with help from Materialise and Belgian architect Isaïe Bloch. This collection featured the revealing Skeleton dress, a 3D printed dress that was inspired by the anatomy of a handful of different animals. The following year, van Herpan then worked with Austrian architect Julia Koerner to explore the idea that all matter is alive with the 2012 “Hybrid Holism” dress collection, which Materialise 3D printed in their honey-colored resin with their SLA 3D printing technology.

Dress by threeASFOUR with Bradley Rothenberg, from the 2016 “Interdimensional” collection

Materialise has also worked with the dynamic New York-based fashion trio threeASFOUR on a couple of occasions, both of which have ended up in the Manus x Machina exhibit. The 2013 “MER KA BA” collection was created in collaboration with 3D printing expert and designer Bradley Rothenberg, which features the Bahai dress, a 3D printed piece inspired by examples of sacred geometry and tile patterns found in historic religious establishments around the world. After that, threeASFOUR turned to Materialse and Rothenberg once more for the 2016 “Interdimensional” collection, which used 3D printed surfaces as pattern pieces for the dress, which essentially explored the relationship between handmade and machine-made, which Manus x Machina is centered around.

As for Materialise, these collaborations help the company better situate themselves within the fashion world, which is growing increasingly fond of using 3D printing technology as a tool. For Materialise’s Creative Director, Joris Debo, the 3D printing service bureau is not only looking to create eye-catching and complex fashion pieces, they’re also hoping to prove the immense value that 3D printing could potentially have on the many facets of fashion, from the catwalk to the insoles we walk in.

The Skeleton dress by Iris van Herpen with Isaie Bloch, from the 2011 “Capriole” collection

“With each collaboration, we continually explore how to add value through 3D Printing, not just aesthetically, but functionally. From the hard, structural designs originally produced, we have moved towards increasingly more flexible and wearable fashion,” said Debo. “This work has also moved beyond the catwalk, with the past year in particular also seeing collaborations between Materialise and leading footwear and eyewear brands. The shared goal of these projects has been to improve upon the functionality of existing insoles, shoes, and glasses respectively, with the aim of enhancing the customer experience for a broader public.”

What are your thoughts on this fashion statement? Tell us over in the Materialise 3D Printed Fashion forum over at 3DPB.com.