A vision of 3D printed fashion, interview of Anastasia Ruiz designer of the Virus Collection

Posted By Claire Chabaud on Feb 10, 2016 | 0 comments

During the 2016 edition of the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show, we unveiled our Virus clothing collection. While these three pieces looked very different from one another and used different techniques, they all belong to the world of designer Anastasia Ruiz. What made her decide to create fashions blending both 3D printing and traditional materials? What are her thoughts on this technology and her true feelings about this experience? In this interview she describes our close collaboration to create the Virus collection.

The Virus Collection or How to Design 3D Printed Fashion

Virus. What a poignant name for a collection partially created with 3D printing technology. Above all, it’s a vision Anastasia Ruiz would like to share. This collection is “a metaphor about today’s world that is constantly evolving, changing and adapting like a virus. We sometimes fear new technologies, as they are synonymous with destruction. In this collection, technology hasn’t destroyed traditional know-how. No, she has embraced it and pushed it to explore new creative frontiers. This is why she made it a point to use fabric and stitching techniques when creating these fashions, to show that technology aligns with traditional techniques,” Anastasia told us, before adding “I have always been fascinated by the fashion world, by the infinite details I wanted to replicate in my creations for a long time. 3D printing was the best way to tackle this challenge, as it was less costly in both time and money to create an embossed print than are traditional embroidery techniques, for example. As a designer, I don’t want to integrate a new technology just because it is innovative, but because it is a way to surpass the limits of traditional know-how.”

Discovering and Using 3D Printing Technology to Create Fashion

Virus collection pattern research by Anastasia Ruiz
Credits: Clausette.cc

At Sculpteo, we were captivated by this vision that is consistent with our approach to become “your project factory”. 3D printing shouldn’t replace everything, but synergize with your industry to help you innovate. This is why we entered into this wonderful collaboration with this talented designer.

The project’s first steps were certainly the most decisive as Anastasia explains to us: “This project’s first challenge was to understand how to use this technology. There’s a real difference between the media buzz around 3D printing and actually applying this technology.  Firstly, because most of the innovations presented by the media are only at the R&D stage and not yet available, and secondly because 3D printing logic requires knowledge of 3D modeling and some engineering knowledge. At Sculpteo, I was able to get assistance from additive manufacturing professionals and engineers. Then the challenge changed, as I was able to “share my ideas accurately with the engineers so that we were all on the same wavelength. Understanding this new technology occurred naturally in the end.”

Anastasia also said “Next, the second challenge is creating the 3D file. I had no experience with CAD software or 3D modeling, which wasn’t a problem in itself as we used the services of 3D super designer Alvise Rizzo, but it can slow down the creative process; you have to share your vision, and successfully communicate with and entrust the 3D designer to create it, because at the end of the day, this is the key person between your idea and actually materializing it. So knowledge of modeling isn’t required, but I highly recommend it.”

Being faced with additive manufacturing’s practical problems enabled the designer to understand how to integrate it realistically with fashion so that it didn’t belong just on the runways, but also and especially in our everyday lives “as Coco Chanel said:

 “A fashion that does not reach the streets is not a fashion.”.

After all, what use is there for 3D printed clothing if it can’t be worn?

What are your thoughts on 3D printing and Fashion?

Virus collection 3D printed samples
Credits: Clausette.cc

Anastasia’s attraction to 3D printing stems from combining technological innovations and fashion in general. “I want to show that technology and fashion are current, and that very soon this will be available to the general public. We will be able to innovate beyond style using all kinds of new technologies, and fashions will become intelligent. Like, for example, clothing that won’t get dirty, so there will no longer be a need to wash clothing; clothing that could heal us when we are wounded, that could detect our symptoms when we are ill, that warms us up when we are cold or vice-versa, to light us up when we are walking down the street at night or while doing sports, and to protect us against danger. We are no longer living in a fictional world, there are already lines of smart fashions on the market like Lab, which has developed anti-perspiring and shirts that always stay clean, or Depuy de Lome which provides new generation suits to fit your body type and are anti-hacking.”

What does Anastasia Ruiz think is next for 3D printed Fashion?

So, is she willing to experiment with 3D printing?

“Before discovering this technology, I didn’t have the same approach to my clothing. My discovery of 3D printing has changed the way I design and create clothing in terms of the volume, the complexity of details, and its functionality. I can’t wait to re-use this technology and push the limits of fashion for even more wearable, more affordable collections! And I’m also interested in architecture. I would like to complete a project on a different scale. There are so many possibilities with 3D printing, it’s difficult to choose! When you’re a designer you can adapt to any environment.”

Thus, even though Anastasia would like to continue using additive manufacturing in her projects, what matters most for her future projects is to “link tradition to innovation. To innovate beyond style by integrating new technologies with a look back, while respecting the environment. I would like to gain experience in many companies and one day if I am able, I would like to become the artistic director for a fashion house or create my own brand.

At any rate, the most important thing is to amaze my customers!”

Discover more about the Virus project in this dedicated article.