3D mesh fashion comes to real life

OK, I used the word "mesh" as a tease but it's not far from the truth. Fashion designer Francis Bitonti has been using 3D printing to create clothing that breaks the boundaries of traditional cloth and other materials.

Using a small army of MakerBots, Bitonti "prints" pieces of outfits and assembles them into completed designs that look like nothing you can buy off-the-rack. Bitonti is also producing accessories and housewares and will be selling the "code" or printing instructions to individuals for reproduction on their MakerBot printers or using a partnering 3D printing service, 3D Hubs.

According to Mashable (the primary source for my article):

"Bitonti's Cloud Collection debuts Friday, April 4. The capsule collection offers four decorative housewares, or rather, the code for them. By modifying one aspect of the code, consumers can decide how much noise or relief appears on the surface of a vase, for example, resulting in a customized purchase."

For a fascinating look at the story behind the Bristle Dress shown in the photo above, see this write-up on MakerBot's blog. Per MakerBot, you too can wear the Bristle Dress if you download the files from Thingiverse. The top takes about 160 hours to print, and the skirt another 135.

Cool but at that rate, I'll stick to H&M.