Technology Taking Over
Is technology the new way for fashion? Is 4D printing taking over the fashion industry? We have seen how concerns of sustainability have been taking over the fashion industry, but why not push it further and mix sustainability with technology? 4D printing is a technique to create an object that is able to shape properties in a predictable way over time in a process to condition such as exposure to water, heat, air. What’s a better way to make garments without actually sewing…4D.
With 4D printing, fashion designers are bringing new visions into perspective, such as making jewellery and garments with articulated joints. It allows the pieces to automatically be in the shape you want it to be, once being removed from the printer. Another perk to this is that if you create any piece of garment it will automatically fit the form of any body shape you require. And with 4D printing, designers can use this process to programme these items to change to any colours and pattern, rather than doing this by sewing, where a mistake could easily be made and is more damaging to the environment in terms of materials used during the process.
Jessica Rosenkrantz is an example of a designer who has created the 4D dress which is displayed in the MoMA. During an interview, Rosenkrantz said, "The garments that we've designed can only expand to their full size after being removed from the printer and they do so automatically, no assembly is required.” We can see that neither are toxic chemicals required to assemble the pieces nor during the labour.
This can be envisioned as the latest trend, but not something that will just happen overnight. It’s a technology that needs to played around with, until its potential is fully reached. And you can see how the fashion industry is teaming up with companies in different industries to become sustainable and to improve the future of fashion. 4D printing is a potential solution, but it would require a mass adoption within the fashion industry, which has not yet come.
Kinematics Dress (2014)
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