We are one step closer to a future where you can print your own clothes at home and 3D fashion designer Danit Peleg is at the forefront of this fashion revolution.
We first meet Danit when she joined us at World Maker Faire New York with her entirely 3D printed fashion collection.
This collection was printed using only home 3D printers. The collection has 5 looks and was printed using FilaFlex filaments & Witbox home printers.
The collection took more than 2000 hours to print, at about 400 hours per outfit. Incredibly, Danit was not well versed in 3D printing at the beginning of this project, but that still didn’t stop her. With the aid of the Tel-Aviv based 3D printing makers community, she brought her idea to fruition.
Jump ahead a couple of years, and she’s become an international fashion phenomenon and designing fashion for the opening ceremonies of the 2016 Rio Paralympic games, as well as offering her first 3D printed garment for sale online.
While my budget doesn’t yet allow for a custom 3D printed jacket, it is interesting to see that we are just a few steps closer to 3D printing becoming a real game changer for the fashion industry and being used every day in the fashion world. We are closer to Danit’s dream of “printing our own clothes at home.”
This jacket is printed-to-order and can be customized and personalized on Danit’s website. Admittedly, I had fun mocking up a sky blue one with the word MAKER on the back.
We were recently able to catch up with Danit and ask her a few questions about how she got started, as well as hear her words of advice for other makers looking to get into fashion.
Make: When you began the process of designing your first collection you didn’t know much about 3D printing, what or who gave you the confidence that you could figure it out?
Danit: It was hard because I didn’t know anything about 3D printing and I had this vision that I knew I had to make happen. So I was looking for a community that could maybe help me. That’s when I found XLN, which is a small maker space in Tel Aviv. There, I found people that were so open and generous with their time and knowledge. Having these strangers come and help me, and become friends along the way, gave me the confidence to keep going until I figure it out.
M: What advice would you give to young designers and makers who have dreams about intertwining tech and fashion?
D: You need to take risks. You need to try new things. Don’t be scared to fail because your courage will lead you to new ideas and paths that could make your dream become reality. Surround yourself with a community of people who can help you. Once you make progress, give that community your knowledge and time. Always remember that fashion is still very analog and technology is going to change it a lot, so there are endless opportunities to merge the two domains.
M: How has the global community of makers helped in your process of creating 3D fashion?
D: I literally met every 3D-printing expert in Israel back in 2015 when I was looking for a solution to print clothes. I was always welcomed with open arms. Even though most people couldn’t help me, they always referred me to the next person who could potentially help. That’s how I met a person who volunteered to model my entire collection and spent hundreds of hours helping me for free. This generosity is the backbone of the maker community and is what ultimately helped make my dream happen.
Thanks Danit. We can’t wait to see what you make next!
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