The future of fashion is here: how 3D printing is changing the industry

3D printing is becoming a key tool in the fashion industry, changing the way brands design and produce garments, so future professionals must prepare themselves to face the challenges and opportunities it poses.

Can you imagine a future where garments are printed on demand, eliminating waste and perfectly fitting each customer's measurements? This is what LCI Barcelona advocates.

With a focus on 3D fashion, the institution prepares its students for a future where technology and creativity will go hand in hand. “3D fashion will allow us to print clothes at home in the future. Although there is still a long way to go, it is a scenario that will be real in the not too distant future,” explains Estel Vilaseca, Head of Fashion at LCI Barcelona.

The institution includes in its curriculum subjects dedicated to 3D printing and modelling. These are taught both in the Degree in Fashion Design and in the Master in Design of Footwear, Bags and Leather Goods Collections. In the latter, students are introduced to digital manufacturing using advanced techniques such as 3D printing, 3D modelling and numerical control milling (CNC), applied specifically to the design of fashion accessories.

A solution for sustainability and waste

One of the biggest draws of 3D fashion is its potential to boost sustainability. Printing clothes reduces fabric waste and minimises production errors, two endemic problems in the sector. In addition, research into recyclable materials promises to close the production loop, allowing end-of-life garments to be reused as raw material to create new ones.

Julia Koerner, an expert in 3D fashion, envisions a future in which recycled materials, even from discarded clothing, feed 3D printers. This would not only reduce waste, but introduce a new level of circularity to the industry.

Inclusion and personalization: a new standard

Another significant change brought by 3D printing is the possibility of creating more inclusive and even personalized collections. Custom-made designs to fit any body and personal preferences are possible with this technology, removing the limitations of mass production.

“3D fashion will allow us to create very diverse and specific designs for each body without so much work,” says Vilaseca. This approach could not only better respond to consumer demands, but also reduce the problem of overstock, since only the garments that are needed would be produced.

Innovation in design

Footwear design is a prime example of the potential of 3D printing to transform traditional processes. Through additive manufacturing, it is possible to create components such as soles and internal structures by deposing material layer by layer, following a previously designed digital model.

The process ranges from modelling the component in specialised software, preparing it in a file compatible with 3D printers and printing itself, to post-processing stages that improve the quality and durability of the final product. Finally, the printed components are assembled with other parts of the shoe to create an innovative, market-ready product. This approach not only optimises production, but also allows designers to experiment with shapes, textures and functionalities that are impossible to achieve using traditional methods.

Pioneers in the sports footwear industry such as Nike, Adidas and New Balance have incorporated 3D printing into the development of their products. Nike, for example, used 3D printing to prototype its iconic Flyknit line, perfecting the details before mass production. Adidas took innovation further with its Futurecraft 4D shoes, developed in collaboration with Carbon, which feature custom soles created using an advanced printing technique.

New Balance , for its part, revolutionized the sector with its Zante Generate model, whose midsoles printed using selective laser sintering ensure a precise fit by converting powdered material into solid structures, layer by layer, using a high-precision laser.

Technology at the service of creativity

Beyond its functional application, 3D printing is also transforming the world of conceptual fashion and haute couture. Designer Anouk Wipprecht, known for fusing technology and fashion, created the iconic Spider Dress in 2015, an interactive dress that reacts to people’s movement and proximity, blurring the boundaries between clothing and human behaviour.

Balenciaga also surprised the public at its Fall/Winter 2023/2024 Haute Couture show by presenting a dress simulating armour, made using 3D printing with galvanised resin and polished in chrome. This piece not only represented a technological feat, but also a statement about how technology can be integrated into the tradition and luxury of haute couture.

These examples, from functionality to artistic experimentation, reflect how 3D printing is driving a new era in the fashion industry, where creativity, sustainability and technological innovation converge to redefine what is possible.

For fashion professionals, the challenge is not only to understand this technology, but to know how to apply it strategically. The question is no longer whether 3D printing will have an impact, but how to take advantage of its potential to lead in a sector that is urgently seeking to adapt to new market demands.

This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.ES, translated and edited to English.

It was translated using an AI tool. .

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