3D Printed Pixel-tastic Fashion from Portugal’s Katty Xiomara and BEEVERYCREATIVE

There is no doubt that nostalgia for the pixel-based video game design of yesteryear has picked up steam. And this makes sense as the pixel style was many people of my generation’s first exposure to video games. It also could be a reaction to all of the advancements made in graphics these days. We are no doubt saturated by highly sophisticated imagery that pushes our levels of visual experience to new heights, but perhaps this is why there is such a drawback to the aesthetics of vintage gaming. We are seeking something emotional that connects us to a simpler technological time. This is the idea behind Katty Xiomara’s new fashion line that is inspired by the nostalgic pixel form; pixel details are 3D printed by BEEVERYCREATIVE and included on pieces in this line.

BEEVERYCREATIVE has produced the BEETHEFIRST 3D printer and the business works out of the Gafanha d’Aquém region in Portugal. This company believes that 3D printing will change mass-production, and it approaches the technology with an eye toward making “personal creative expression a way to the future.”

Katty Xiomara is a Portugal-based fashion designer whose pieces are “aspirational yet accessible, elegant and timeless, sophisticated but playful…” Here, in Xiomara’s collaboration with BEEVERYCREATIVE, called 8 Bit Flashback, the emphasis would be on playful, as her designs literally evoke early video game playing days.

When BEEVERYCREATIVE approached Xiomara about incorporating 3D printing into a collection, she was already a big fan of the technology. The method they used for collaboration was straightforward. BEEVERYCREATIVE would extrude design elements of pieces they would receive from Xiomara, leading to the 8 Bit Flashback collection which is wildly inventive, and yes, pixel-tastic.

BEEVERYCREATIVE summarizes the outcome of this collaborative process involving design and 3D printing here:

“Katty Xiomara’s latest collection – as the name 8 bit flashback suggests – is based on 8-bit videogames, and this results in very refined aesthetics and a truly unique approach to the presentation. The new pieces were on display within a digital presentation of the collection, allied to a live, 8-bit-inspired soundtrack, and further combined with the real-life presence of models clad in the latest Katty Xiomara collection. Let there be no room for debate: the impact was resounding, memorable and visually fulfilling!”

While BEEVERYCREATIVE reports that they were not quite sure what Xiomara was doing with the 3D printed pieces they would send to her during the process, they were “blown away” by the outcome. Xiomara’s incorporation of the 3D printed pieces, accessories, into the 8 Bit Flashback collection is subtle by any measure. Appearing as buttons and jewelry, with the fabric serving as almost a backsplash to the explicit pixel-inspired touches, like pixel-based animation itself, the effect is far from overbearing. In fact, I would argue, Xiomara makes pixels elegant.

This may not be the last collaboration we see between two very creative entities in Portugal today, and we will be keeping an eye on both Xiomara’s design work (you can view a video of Xiomara’s collection below) and the 3D printing projects from BEEVERYCREATIVE.