3D Printed Lingerie From Victoria’s Secret

3D printed lingerie has hit the catwalk in New York thanks to the collaberation between Victoria’s Secret and Swarovski.

They enlisted the help of architect Bradley Rothenberg to help design something truly unique. The 3D printing specialist Shapeways, helped provide the technical know-how, making the designs a reality.

The result, a sparkling snowflake-like corset, was one of the highlights at Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

Bradley Rothenberg explains his inspiration for the stunning corset, saying: “I’ve always been interested in the fractal nature of snowflakes, so I wanted to do something that uses the simple mathematical equations that lead to the complex nature of snowflakes. The second challenge was to take that natural beauty and make something that is wearable.”

“We also wanted to push the limits of the Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) process to see how thin we could print the material to be as textile-like as possible,” he added. “There was a constant back and forth between fittings and updating the digital model to get to the final design right.”

The team were able to use laser-sintered polyamide, which a nylon coated in Swarovski crystals, to create the snowflake-effect material, which was then printed by Shapeways. An algorithm was generated to produce the interlocking 3D snowflake structure. The team then created several “fabric swatches”, so that they could test the wearability and flexibilty of the fabric, before producing prototypes that could be matched to the 3D scan of the lingerie model Lindsay Ellingson.

As you can see from the picture, the result is a visually striking 3D printed corset that is perfectly tailored to the model.

“What excites me most about 3D printing is the idea of mass customization, so that every 3D printed piece can be customized to each user at no more cost than making everything standard,” says Rothenberg. “In the future, it will also allow us to make new custom materials by 3D printing on a molecular scale. Think a material that can adjust to the temperature so that you are cool when it’s warm and warm when it is cold. It allows for us to approach and make form that could not have been made before.”

[Images via & gizmag]

SOURCE: http://www.gizmag.com/3d-lingerie-brad-rothenberg/29914/