3D printing is once again on the catwalk at Paris Fashion Week this year in the form of a reinvented and signature ROCIO handbag.

The handbag was created as a result of a research and development project between ROCIO, a Scottish luxury eco-fashion brand, and the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), to explore more sustainable manufacturing techniques. for the brand’s handbags.

“One of the main goals of NMIS is to collaborate with and support SMEs in order to foster a positive impact on the local economy and industry at large,” said Andrew Brawley, Research and Design Engineer NMIS. “We have a team dedicated to helping SMEs on their journey to innovate and exploit new goods and services in response to industry needs – and this ROCIO project is a prime example.

“We hope this will be the start of a long-standing relationship of trust with the ROCIO team, as this new exploration showcases the endless possibilities available.”

3D printing at Paris Fashion Week

Several 3D printed garments and accessories have made their debut on the Paris Fashion Week catwalk in recent years, showcasing innovative uses of technology to provide greater creative freedom and demonstrate more sustainable manufacturing techniques for the fashion industry.

One of the first 3D printing appearances at Paris Fashion Week was in 2015, when a partially 3D printed suit from designer Karl Lagerfeld paraded to showcase a ’21st century version’ of an iconic jacket. of the 20th century.

Having long experimented with 3D printing and digital fabrication techniques in high fashion clothing design, Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen also had her fair share of 3D printed clothing on the catwalk at Paris Fashion Week. . In 2015, she made a dress on Game of Thrones actress Gwendoline Christie in real time using a combination of 3D printing, CNC machining, and digital manufacturing techniques. Track.

More recently, during Paris Fashion Week 2019, van Herpen launched a collection of sculptural facial jewelry, named ‘Cellchemy’, which was 3D printed in partnership with Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) .

Reinventing the ROCIO handbag

Having been seen worn on the arms of famous models and actresses like Irina Shayk, Kate Upon and Susan Sarandon, ROCIO’s luxury decorative handbags are traditionally carved from acacia wood harvested through a 19-step process.

Eager to explore new, more sustainable ways of making its handbags, ROCIO embarked on a research project with NMIS to combine its own know-how with the technological capabilities of the center. The project focused on developing the internal structure of the bag that could be used as the basis for luxury fabric coverings.

ROCIO chose to explore 3D printing because of the technology’s ability to expand its operations to meet customer demand, while simultaneously providing greater creative freedom in its design process. In particular, the company wanted to study different materials and design constructions that were not possible through their existing manufacturing methods.

As part of the project, the partners produced a 3D printed prototype which was then used by the Spanish fashion business school Atelier to create a final fully structured leather version of the ROCIO handbag. Through the design process fueled by 3D printing, the reinvented structure captured the same structured art form of the brand’s wooden handbags, allowing it to retain its aesthetic characteristics and silhouette.

“We are really surprised with the results,” said Hamish Menzies, Creative Director of ROCIO. “We are at the heart of sustainable fashion and pride ourselves on each accessory being a unique creative masterpiece. The pieces produced are works of art and this unique leather handbag concept offers exceptional beauty in a structured art form that I believe pushes the boundaries of design.

The reimagined leather handbag will debut on the catwalk at this year’s Paris Fashion Week and will be the latest creation featuring 3D printing to be presented on the global stage to the fashion industry.

“For us, exploring the use of a 3D printed prototype is more cost, time and material efficient in the long run,” Menzies said. “By using this technology, we take a further step towards improving our efforts to be even more sustainable, while unlocking and embracing the future capabilities of our industry. “

3D printing is all the rage

Besides Paris Fashion Week, 3D printing has captured the attention of many designers and brands seeking to harness the advantages of technology in terms of creative design, material efficiency and personalization.

Alongside van Herpen, fashion designer and researcher Mingjing Lin was one of the pioneers in exploring the use of additive manufacturing in fashion and textile design, having previously worked with the printing company 3D SLS Sinterit to create new clothes for a performance of Peking Opera.

Elsewhere, Italian designer Chiara Giusti has also taken advantage of 3D printing to produce her own line of 3D printed clothing TECHNĒ, while accessory maker Eddy Ricami used Voxel8’s ActiveLab 3D printing technology to produce unique functional embellishments for her shoes and clothing.

Last September, industrial 3D printer manufacturer Stratasys unveiled two new collections with fashion designers Ganit Goldstein and Julia Koerner as part of a project to optimize its direct-to-textile PolyJet technology. The company first showcased its ability to 3D print directly onto fabric during New York Fashion Week 2019, through a collection with other three fashion designers ASFOUR and Travis Fitch.

Subscribe to 3D Printing Industry Bulletin for the latest additive manufacturing news. You can also stay connected by following us on Twitter and love us on Facebook.

Looking for a career in additive manufacturing? Visit 3D printing works for a selection of roles in the industry.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest 3D printing video shorts, reviews and webinar reruns.

Featured Image Shows ROCIO classic wooden handbag. Photo via NMIS.