First time with 3D printing and launching her first fashion collection printed with Filaflex
Who said 3D printing or flexible filament was difficult?
Once again, we are surprised by a story of overcoming. The clear example that shows that to get started in the world of 3D printing you don't need to have technical knowledge or to have studied engineering, that it is not an inaccessible technology and that you don't have to fear it or respect it. This is what Maria Siqueira shows us with these admirable results and working with our flexible filament Filaflex, including the softest elasticities of the range! A demonstration that the limits are only those you find in your own mind. Don't miss it!
Maria Siqueira is a Portuguese student of the 'Master of Arts Fashion Design' at the Institut Français de la Mode, a very selective course ranked as the second best in the world. For her Master's final collection, she created a 3D printed collection by making her own fabrics. She chose Filaflex 82A and Filaflex 70A as the materials with which to print her collection because they have the perfect hardness for the textile-like textures she wanted to create.
The Collection: Neostalgia
Hi, Maria, could you tell us briefly what your collection is about?
My collection named 'Neostalgia', is an homage to my Portugues heritage, where I combine both my sentimentality and my rather logical thought process, while liberating myself from gender archetypes and focus on the garment and the body. A journey which aims to bring nostalgia and the modern world together harmoniously.
Maria Siqueira's innovative fashion design process
"Filaflex is a very reliable filament! Once I found the right printing settings for my printer, Artillery Sidewinder X2, and for the type of print I was working on, I could print hours on end. I was really impressed about how easy it was to print even with a lower shore hardness of 70A. Considering how new I am to 3D printing it really shows how it can open a lot of doors for all type to users."
Maria Siqueira, fashion designer.
Design Process and Challenges
What has been the challenge of bringing out your own 3D printed collection?
The main challenge was to have a garment that, even though 3D printed, doesn't feel too futuristic, plastic and sculptural. It was important to me to create a collection that while created with modern technologies still emanates an emotion and has an artisanal feel that answers to the sentimentality of my work.
Textile samples 3D printed with Filaflex 82A for the 'Neostalgia' collection
Creative Inspiration
Where did you get the creative inspiration to design the models of your collection?
I was inspired by the nostalgic photography of Artur Pastor and merged traditional silhouettes and symbolic elements, of my portuguese culture: as the checked pattern found in Nazarene's fisherman's traditional workwear or the traditional embroidery technique from Ilha terceira to create textiles using 3D printing.
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Inspiration from Artur Pastor's photography
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Traditional Portuguese elements captured by Artur Pastor
The Collection
Full checked skirt and matching sleeves in gold, brown and blue with Filaflex 82A and 70A
Checked blue and gold top on Filaflex 70A and 82A
Full 3D printed look with matching top and skirt in white 82A Filaflex
Technical Process
Why did you choose 3D printing technology to make your collection?
The use of 3D printing came out of curiosity. I had no idea what was possible but I knew I wanted to make use of my more logical side together with my sentimentality when developing my "Neostalgia" collection as it strongly resumes my approach to design and 3D printing quickly became perfect tool for this.
"Initially I started 3D printing with PLA and quickly understood that it was too far off from the textile like experience I was looking for. I started looking at different TPU filaments and experimenting with shore hardness, color and patterns and the use of Filaflex was perfect for this as there was a lot of choice for this experimentation."
Final Collection
Photography by Tim Tyas (@tim_tyas)
Credits
CREDITS OF THE PHOTOS:
- Studio photos: Tim Tyas (@tim_tyas)
- IFM show/backstage:
© Photo IFM - Sacha Héron
© Photo IFM - Guillaume Roujas
