MOMA purchases first 3D "Kinematics dress"

By

Anne-Sophie Savenier

Published
Dec 12, 2014

3D printing technology has emerged in recent years as a major trend, if not the major trend in the various sectors of the fashion industry. Textiles haven't excaped the wave resulting in sometimes not very convincing designs. Yet, a milestone has now been reached with the "Kinematics Dress".  

The dress, which the MOMA has just acquired for its permanent collection “Humble masterpieces" is, in addition to being rather elegant, the first dress fully produced using a 3D printer in one single piece. The Museum of Modern Art has also acquired the software that was used in its production.  

This nylon dress, which was created by the Massachusettes-based studio Nervous System and printed by Shapeways, is composed of 2,270 triangular panels connected by 3316 hinges. A complex structure allows for fluid motion, as with a normal fabric, although each piece is in fact rigid.  

Nervous System explains that Kinematics embodies a breakthrough in designing three-dimensional shapes for the ready-to-wear sector. The technology combines computational geometry with a fully customizable physical silhouette. By folding the garments prior to printing them, designers can create complex structures larger than a 3D printer that unfold into their intended shape automatically.

The new system offers the possiblity of producing materials that can adapt to the movements of the human body although they are originally not designed to do so.