The recently concluded Met Gala 2019 really did leave fashion enthusiasts plenty of material to talk about for weeks to come, huh?
While there were a lot of highlights, what with celebrities bringing their A game this year, one of the most talked about is Zac Posen’s unique gown designs.
Innovative Gowns
Posen’s gowns proved to be standouts at the highly-anticipated fashion event because of the rather unusual way they were made. You see, all five gowns that Posen sent down the red carpet were made by a 3D printer.
With a little help from General Electric (GE), the 38-year-old designer made his long-time dream come true using a 3D printer to print out parts of dresses that celebs like Deepika Padukone, Julia Garner, Jourdan Dunn, Nina Dobrev and Katie Holmes wore.
Posen had Linda Boff, GE’s chief marketing officer, to thank. After meeting at last year’s Met Gala, it was Boff who introduced him to the scientists and engineers that eventually helped him make his dresses. He even got the chance to tour GE’s Pittsburgh facility to personally the printer in action.
The Creative Process
Judging from Posen’s creative process, it sure looks like every 3D dress he made was a product of hours and hours of creative labor.
For Holmes’ violet dress, the designer said he was inspired by singer Prince’s fashion and used over 300 yards of tulle to make it. Meanwhile, the accenting palm-like sculpture which decorates the actress’ shoulders was printed out.
It was Dobrev’s ice sculpture-like mini dress and Dunn’s rose petal gown though that were almost fully the product of the 3D printer. For Dunn’s dress, Posen said that they had to print out 21 pieces of red 3D petals and form them into a garment by attaching each to a titanium frame.
The stunning red number reportedly took five months to make while Dobrev’s took almost 200 hours from start to finish. According to Posen, his highly-structured designs were inspired by sculptures he’s seen in museums.
Aside from the dresses, Posen also created quite a number of accessories for his celebrity clients. Actors Andrew Garfield and Vito Schnabel were both spotted at the event wearing cuff links (also 3D printed) which feature the designer’s logo.
The Future of Fashion
Posen’s new method of designing and creating dresses is surely a game changer in the world of fashion. Traditionally, designers would start with hand sketches before draping and sewing their designs on a mannequin form.
It surely looks like 3D printing can offer tons of opportunities for designers to think outside the box and get more creative with their new collections.
For example, the new technology can enable innovative minds to bring life to designs which would have been difficult to pull off through traditional methods.