3D Printed Guns Move Over, 3D Printing For Fashion Is Here - Dita Von Teese Debuts Futuristic Garment

Fashion designers are the latest to join the 3D printing bandwagon.

3D Printing, as the name implies, involves 'printing' computer generated designs with 'plastic ink.' The fashion industry was quite late to the party - medical equipment, architectural designs, even souvenir samples have already been produced via 3D printers.

Hot Pop Factory, a jewelry manufacturer, has already started creating blueprints for its accessory line. Retailers like New Balance also used 3D printing for making shoes, while some independent designers like Ron Arab made fashionable sunglasses. The latest development, however, was the creation of a full blown outfit from a computer sketch.

Dita Von Teese debuted the futuristic garment during a conference in New York City early this year. Wearing a black, 3D-printed nylon dress, the burlesque superstar paraded her Swarovski-embedded gown. Fashion designers Francis Bitonti and Michael Schmidt partnered with Shapeways to bring the blueprint to life.

"There's a precision we're not used to encountering in the physical world," commented Bitonti as the gown flowed seamlessly with all 3,000 movable joints holding it all together. Inspired by the chainmail armor of olden times, the dress was light and flexible.

"You don't wear a chainmail dress out to the grocery store," Bitonti joked.

Shapeway, a New York based 3D printing company, is among the first to offer such technology.

In the East Coast, San Francisco's Continuum was among the pioneers of the wearable 3D-printed fashion industry. Although most people would think that products created through this process are expensive, Continuum's website prices their merchandise for the middle market.

Mary Huang, founder of Continuum, said that the technology gave everyone, even consumers, "access to creativity." Continuum prints bikinis, lingerie, and other apparel from nylon. One advantage of 3D printing is that specific measurements can be inputted prior to the creation of the object. This means that all customized 3D-printed garments will fit perfectly to its buyer.

However, the cost of production via 3D technology is still more expensive than traditional means. The reason behind this is that 3D printing firms also create their own basic materials, according to Bitonti. Recent developments, such as Shapeway's new production scheme, have significantly lowered the cost of production.

Bitonti was firm in saying that 3D printing is not just the latest "in" thing in fashion. "It's definitely not going to be a trendy thing. It's a game changer."