Naina Redhu Uses 3Doodler to Turn Heads at Hermès Silk Ball with 3D Printed Eye Mask
Bridget O'Neal
High fashion and 3D printing have been making headlines together steadily of late. With the opportunity to show off haute couture in a new light, fashion designers have proudly — and sometimes extravagantly — highlighted their use of the new technology with provocative designs like 3D printed dresses and shoes, as well as creating amazing fashion accouterments.
Naina Redhu, luxury and lifestyle photographer in India, brought together both her creativity and love for technology with her 3D printed eye mask that she wore recently to a Hermès Silk Ball. It’s an apropos design for Naina to express her artistic side as her name means “eyes” in Hindi.
Hermès is one of her favorite designers, and upon an invitation to the Hermès Silk Ball in New Delhi last month, Naina decided to pull her 3Doodler pen out of a drawer and have a try at it for a piece of more serious artwork than she’d ever attempted previously. Using a piece of leftover black ribbon, Naina eschewed the structure of a template, stating that she prefers to ‘wing it,’ and apparently that works very well for her, as the 3D printed mask — using colors from the event logo and invite — garnered a great deal of positive attention and response.
With an initial launch in London early this year, the Hermès Silk Ball is a ‘traveling’ masquerade ball which has been traversing the globe, hosting events that are by invitation only, and are much coveted by those who have a passion for fashion. Held at the Leela Palace in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi on November 20th, fashionably late guests were invited to arrive making fashion statements with their favorite Hermès scarves, as well as wearing masks featuring a Beauty and the Beast (pick one) theme, and decorative make-up.
With La Raconteuse Visuelle as part of her trademark name, meaning “The Visual Storyteller,” Naina is experienced with using her artistic side for branding, in creating logos, imagery, and stories through photographs for her clients. With the 3Doodler she was able to put her penchant for colors and vibrancy on full display.
While we have reported on 3Doodler pens being used in the fashion and art sector to create everything from dresses to 3D artwork, it is a great choice for creating something like a mask since it allows the user all sorts of creative 3D options, as the pen extrudes heated filament and allows the 3D printing artist to draw and build, work up and out, or with something like a mask, even keep the object rather flat when desired. Thickness and flexibility of the object, such as a mask, can be completely manipulated by the user, and with a variety of nozzles available in different shapes and sizes, it’s up to the artist as to what type of detail they want to produce.
A template and cutout mask were actually supplied with the Hermès invitation, and Naina pointed out that there were very few individuals who made their own masks — giving Naina a great opportunity to show off her talent, as well as the colorful creativity afforded by 3D printing and the 3Doodler.
