Tag Archives: 3D Systems
3D Printed Fashion: Interview with Pioneer Designer Shoes by Bryan
3D Printed Fashion Hits the Runway
3D printed fashion has literally come into vogue and enabled designers to expand their craft in new ways.
In London this past fall, the critically acclaimed Shoes by Bryan début collection Heavy Metal Series generated buzz in fashion and technology circles at the 3D Print Show as products of more advanced 3D printing technologies are being perfected and refined for the collection’s eventual release to market.
Bryan Oknyansky of Shoes By Bryan continues to push forward and has made a landmark breakthrough in the global pursuit to bring 3D printing into our everyday lives – like 3D printing a pair of shoes from home.
Says Oknyansky, “The day the 3D Touch 3D printer arrived at the studio I powered it up and immediately started printing prototypes of Split Heels. This is my first design that I could make completely from my studio without outsourcing production. One month later I had 13 cutting-edge high heels ready for the catwalk at a fraction of the cost. It’s a real game-changer and it will soon change how shoes are made and sold.”
Interview with the Designer
We asked Oknyansky for a few updates on his innovative 3D printed fashion business. Here’s a transcript of our interview.
On 3D Printing: What is the latest on your debut collection or other collections since the 3D Print Show in London? Have you been selling in retail or online?
In keeping with the momentum from last season’s Fashion Fringe 2012 winning collaboration, Shoes By Bryan announces the visionary footwear label has initiated its first limited sale direct through the brand. Having kicked off a limited sale of the latest 3D printed design Split Heels at Bloody Gray Press Days SS13, Shoes By Bryan has sold 11 pairs of Split Heels – the world’s first eco-friendly bio-plastic 3D printed high heel shoes that can be worn like traditional shoes, and can almost be printed from home. As Split Heels are composed of three main parts, Oknyansky opened up a number of colour styling options to private buyers of first edition Split Heels and named pairs with unique colour combinations after the buyers who styled them.
Equipped with a Bits From Bytes 3D Touch plastic extrusion 3D printer from 3D Systems, designer Bryan Oknyansky was able to take orders on a limited release of 10 made to measure pairs of Split Heels two months in advance of Christmas. The first 10 pairs were sold to private buyers in the US, UK, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, and Brazil. With an order placed for Valentine’s Day 2013 and 100% of buyers reporting 100% love for their Split Heels, Oknyansky has committed to extending the first edition of Split Heels to 100 pairs directly through the company.
Shoe lovers and art collectors from around the world can place an order for a numbered edition of the first 100 pairs of first edition Split Heels – complete with a certificate signed by the designer himself – by emailing sales@shoesbybryan.com to receive details on available colours and design options.
On his decision to extend the first edition to 100 made-to-measure pairs, Oknyansky says: “Split Heels are the first of their kind in the world. The process of making Split Heels is on the leading edge of technology, which makes them experimental art works as well as statement shoes. As such, buying a pair of Split Heels is different from buying an ordinary pair of heels. My clients have bought their Split Heels as much because they are amazing and perfectly comfortable statement shoes as they are collectible art works from an emerging artist. They see it as an investment that will make way for more visionary footwear from me and the Shoes By Bryan brand.”
The additional 89 pairs of the extended first edition 100 pair limited release of Split Heels are available to order directly through emailing sales@shoesbybryan.com and will be produced in monthly batches of up to 20 pairs per month beginning Summer 2013. The award-winning designer has set the starting price for these personalised, made-to-measure, collectible art statement shoes at a competitive £390.
On 3D Printing: How do you plan to scale up production to meet demand? Will shoes be 3D printed to a size or personalized for each customer?
Scaling up production of Split Heels requires getting more plastic extruding 3D printers on board. Ultimately, the printing process used to produce Split Heels is not fast enough to sustain long runs of the design. Therefore,the decision was made to release Split Heels in limited runs. Currently all Split Heels can be personalised as any standard shoe size can be ordered and the buyer can choose up to two colours from an assortment of options at the base price of £390 with slight increases in final price if additional colours are chosen.
On 3D Printing: What’s next for Shoes by Bryan?
Next up for Shoes By Bryan is to bring 3D printed fashion and innovative footwear to the world. 3D printing and other digital fabrication tools allowed my brand to hit the world stage in a short space of time, rich only in design. With press exposure begetting more exposure and demand steadily growing, the brand will continue to leverage alternative manufacturing technologies along with current and new industry alliances to grow.
Photo Gallery
Below is a gallery of the 3D printed fashion collection Shoes By Bryan on the runway. Click for larger images.
Follow news and updates on www.shoesbybryan.com, on facebook.com/shoesbybryan and on Twitter @ShoesByBryan. For more information on the technology provided by 3D Systems go to www.bitsfrombytes.com or www.3Dsystems.com.
Photo credit: Mel Bagshaw Photography used by permission from Shoes By Bryan.
Inside 3D Printing Conference & Expo – Discount Available
Inside 3D Printing Conference & Expo, April 22-23 in New York City, will explore the cutting-edge world of 3D printing. The event has attracted top speakers from companies including Shapeways, Solid Concepts Inc, Autodesk, 3D Systems, Estee Lauder, Stratasys, Authentise, .MGX by Materialise, and T. Rowe Price Associates.
You’ll be able to choose from four tutorial sessions and 16 conference sessions which will tackle the impact of 3D printing on all fields— engineering, design, medical, architecture, fashion, culinary, firearms, technology, and more.
Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to hear from experts like Andy Christensen, President of Medical Modeling Inc, Jeffrey Lipton, CTO of Seraph Robotics, Inc., Avi Reichental, President & CEO of 3D Systems, and Peter Weijmarshausen, CEO and Co-Founder of Shapeways. View the full speaker list here.
Attendees will also receive the unparalleled opportunity to network with like-minded peers and industry experts and continue the day’s discussions at our cocktail reception.
Use On 3D Printing’s exclusive discount code: PRINT for 15% off a full-conference pass. Early bird prices end soon. Register before April 4 and save.
For exhibiting and sponsorship information, please contact Marilyn Reed at 3dprinting.sponsors@mediabistro.com or 518-793-8167.
Video: A Look Back at the Launch of the Cube 3D Printer
Abe Reichental, CEO of 3D Systems, speaks with Peter Marsh from Financial Times about the launch of the Cube 3D printer and the potential disruption of 3D printing in the video below.
Video: 3D Systems Attaches Cube 3D Printer to Person at SXSW
At SXSW, 3D Systems showed off their Cube 3D printers in a creative way: by strapping 3D printers to people and walking around the conference while printing.
In the video below, a man from Cubify demos 3D printing from with a Cube attached to his body.
Photo by Luc Van Braekel used under Creative Commons license.
3D Printing Future is Bright, Say Industry Leaders on SXSW Panel
The 3D printing future is bright. That was the consensus of industry leaders on a panel at SXSW this year in Austin, Texas. The show kicked off with MakerBot’s Bre Pettis unveiling the new MakerBot Digitizer 3D scanner and closed with 3D printed toys producer MakieLab winning the SXSW Accelerator top prize.
CNET’s Rich Brown hosted a panel on “The Future of 3D Printing“, featuring 3D Systems CEO Avi Reichental, MakieLab CEO Alice Taylor, and Bespoke Innovations founder Scott Summit.
The panel discussed three topics:
- Business opportunities
- IP and copyright issues
- General thoughts about the industry
Key takeaways
Reichental discussed how 3D printing is already powering major industries. He noted that hearing aids are manufactured using 3D printing, many dental implants are 3D printed, and parts used in military jets and drones are created using 3D printing as well. 3D Systems has a partnership from the military to increase the number of 3D printed parts to 900 for the next generation jet.
While 3D Systems is a large public company, Taylor and Summit represented their experience in their respective startups. 3D printing enabled them to get manufacturing intensive businesses to market without incurring dramatic capital expenses. The things that kill startups – time to market, upfront costs, and inventory costs – go away with 3D printing.
Intellectual property concerns were somewhat dismissed by the panel, suggesting that piracy is simply a demonstration of market demand and loyalty. Summit argued that a larger risk for piracy is the counterfeit mass production of goods in China.
Likewise, the hype around 3D printed guns was suggested to be overplayed by the media and not a real risk. Taylor suggested it will continue to be easier to buy a gun than print one.
Looking to the future, the panelists commented on 4D printing (3D printing with functionality) and 5D printing (voxel manufacturing) as revolutionary directions the technology could go, while also acknowledging that there are real limitations with respect to materials and cost today.
The panel also suggested that prices of consumer 3D printers would fall as competition increased.
Tweets
Wow, deep “we lost a generation to video games, buy your kids a 3D printer and they’ll become a rocket scientist by college” #ftr3dprint
— Jake Frick (@JakeFrick) March 11, 2013
We won’t continue to see few design for millions. With 3D printing, we’ll start to see millions designing for themselves. #FTR3DPRINT #SXSW
— Sarah Schultz (@schultzse) March 11, 2013
Original panel description from SXSW
No longer is it necessary to create a mold and make 10,000 of an item in order to get it produced. Today, 3D printing allows almost anyone to create just about design they can imagine. The technology is being used to make everything from toys to motorcycles to airplane parts, and even houses, as well as incredible medical advances . Where is the tech going? Some think it can make new parts for the International Space Station. Others see it as a way for designers to make money selling 3D models.
What’s clear is that production will never be the same. The question is whether the technology behind creating 3D printed products can really be democratic, or if truly high-end production will remain in the hands of a skilled — and monied — few.
Experts in the field will share their thoughts on the state of the art, and where this exciting tech is likely to go in the years to come. CNET Reviews editor Rich Brown, who has been writing about 3D printing for years, will moderate.
Photo by William Hertling.
