3D Printed Fashion, with Danit Peleg

Hello and welcome to season 3 of the Fashion Made podcast. Thanks for bearing with us over the last few weeks. Obviously there's been a lot of disruption over the last few months and that's affected everyone, ourselves included. You know, I used to record these at our events and since those have been postponed to the latter half of the year, We've now had to go back to our roots and we're recording these as audio-only podcasts. So, yeah, thanks for tuning in. I just want to introduce a conversation I had a few weeks ago with Danit Peleg, who is a Tel Aviv-based 3D-printed fashion designer. You may have seen her TED Talk. She's doing fantastic work in the world of 3D-printed fashion. So here it is. Enjoy. So, Danit, yeah, it's really nice to speak to you. Thanks for joining us all the way from Israel. Are you in Tel Aviv?

Right. I am based in Tel Aviv right now. Thank you for having me. I'm really excited.

Yeah, yeah. It's, it's really interesting to hear more about this new world of 3D printed fashion because it's come a long way in a short time.

Right. Totally. So many things have been changed in the last 5 years, and I would love to tell you all about it.

Yeah, yeah. Well, let's get straight to it. And the first thing I wanted to talk about was materials. I mean, they seem to be new materials every single day in this area.

It would be great if we'll have new materials happening more often. Since I started, the biggest challenge in order to print fashion was to find the right materials to print textiles with. You know, the key property of a real textile, it has to be soft and flexible and feels nice on the body. And that was a big challenge for me to find something like that. The most common materials for 3D printing are PLA, which is a sort of a stiff plastic. It's very breakable and stiff and scratchy material. So I didn't went very far with my research using this material. So I guess for me, the breakthrough came when I was introduced to Filaflex, which is this new kind of filament. Back then it was very new. It's a sort of a TPU, which is a rubber. Basically filament. Some of the materials made from recyclable materials, recyclable rubber, but all of them can be recyclable, which is great. But of course, these materials are very basic and they're nothing like textile we used to wear, like cotton or silk or, you know, or wool. So I really hope in the future, and this is one of the projects that I'm working really, really deeply on is the development of new materials that will be more and more wearables and will be fit to the everyday printer.

How many challenges do you have with the printing of these materials as well? Is it— are you struggling to find new materials and new printers? Are you struggling to find basically the tools to do your job properly?

Yes, exactly. So what I created is a sort of a recipe. I took this material and I took this printer and I used the right settings to print my textiles. And then using these flexible structures with the flexible filaments, I was able to create textiles that feels really nice, although they're made from plasticky materials. So, so yeah, so that's a big challenge. And then also to print flexible filament using FDM printers, the desktop printers that you can fit in your house can be challenging. Um, so I had to create the whole setting process around it to find the right temperature, the right speed, um, the right printer, of course. Um, but that's, um, but once you get it, once you get all this, um, you know, equipment in your recipe, then you can definitely print a dress and it will be very successful. Um, so yeah.

Can, can you explain to me and for anyone else that's never touched a 3D printed dress, what does it feel like?

It's actually much softer than you would expect it. Um, um, the, the structure of the textile has this flexibility and the soft materials, uh, given it feels really, actually really nice on the, on the skin. Um, nothing like cotton, of course. But the models really enjoy it and feel that it's very, you know, fun and interesting to wear. It's much softer than we expect, so it's not that stiff, plasticky that you would think when you watch the photos.

Yeah. So with the printing techniques as well, can you explain a little bit about that?

Sure. Yeah. So the printer that I'm using, I'm using FDM printers. Um, uh, which is the, the, the sort of the printers that you can fit in your house, the similar printers you find in like offices or schools, universities. Um, and the ones I believe in the future, uh, we might see in our houses more and more. Um, so, so the way it works today, um, I have to print a dress in like, I don't know, maybe like 20 pieces. And then I assembled them together like a 3D puzzle. But for my new collection that I'm working on right now, I'm using more sophisticated printers called Black Belt. It's a new sort of a printer coming from the Netherlands. And that's, it's very unique because you can print a long piece of textile. So I can print in, so, you know, the similar when you go to the grocery store and you buy product and you put it on these black belts that is turning around. Uh, so the same with 3D printing. So when I start print my piece of fabric, I can just, you know, continue printing, um, you know, meters of them, uh, and not printing in a small printing plate size. So now I can print a dress in only 4 pieces compared to 30 or 40 pieces before.

Um, amazing.

So yeah, so that's, That's also, that shows us the technology does accelerate really fast. The printing time became more than 3 times faster than what I, when I started printed textile until today. So, so that shows us that maybe in a few years it will take us a few minutes to print a dress. And so, and also the printers are becoming more smarter and You know, and more, um, working better for textiles, specifically for textiles. Um, so that's, yeah, so that's very useful in my work.

What's the failure rate? You know, do they print perfectly every time or?

Great question. So it used to be 50% failures. So, uh, to print a top, I had to print basically 2 tops in order to have 1. Uh, but now I come to the place that I have almost, uh, um, zero failures in my prints. Um, and, uh, and that's also saved us from a lot of waste because when I print, when I printed the completely second collection, I come to the place that I have almost zero waste, which is not something possible to do with traditional fabrics. And that's also because of the printers becoming better. And it's easier to use them. It's faster and there is no failures. So everything I print is meant to be this sleeve or the front of the dress or the back of the dress. So I don't have any waste.

That's a great place to be. So you say you're using for the most part TPU at the moment?

Right. I'm using TPU, which is the most flexible materials for, for FDM. Um, and you know, sometimes with the fashion industry, yeah, it's very complex, like you said, but, uh, most of the clothing that we wear today are made from a sort of a plastic, just in a different form. And sometimes we don't even know that we're wearing plastics. So when we hear wearing a plastics garment, it seems to be very odd and weird to us, but we wear plastics all the time. So, uh, so yeah, so, so just imagine it in a different form coming from a 3D printer and then Of course, there is so many benefits to 3D print your clothes compared to just go and buy it from fast fashion brand.

So, so, but you are using TPUs. So how much of that is virgin TPU? And how much do you manage to get recycled TPU in there?

Right. So I don't know the exact, you know, compose of the material itself, because I am buying it from, from a company. Once I'll use my own materials, I'll know exactly what there is inside. And of course the goal is to create better and more sustainable materials that are non-toxic, that are recyclable. And definitely there is no room to create new kind of fashion when it's not a circular kind of fashion. So Personally, I'm not interested in doing anything like that. So I'm really eager to find solutions that will, will make a t-shirt in the morning and then recycle it at the end of the day and then create something else the next day.

That's really interesting. When we're talking about maybe a circular model with 3D printed fashion, that circularity will be far easier to achieve within supply chains and plants to break down these materials and reuse them into new 3D printed materials. That much is, of course, you know, is certain. When we talk about sustainability as well, there's, as we said, lots of elements. There's materials, there's also manufacturing techniques. One of the things with fashion is the incredible amount of water and then contamination and pollution of water with dyeing and cooling of machines. Do 3D printers need water to cool down or any of this?

Great question. So, so no, so no need any, any water in the process, maybe on the process on creating the filament itself. But it's It's definitely not the same as making, you know, a pair of jeans where you use hundreds of liters of water every time you print a pair of jeans. So definitely I will be able to tell you more about the specific amounts of each materials, maybe in a few months from now. But definitely the status quo and what's going on today, in fashion is definitely doesn't make sense. Our clothes are made with tons of toxic chemicals that make their way into our water sources. And we're not even aware on what's going on. So, yeah, so definitely I see 3D printed fashion as a more ethical way to make fashion and much more clean. Than any other process. So you need, all you need basically is, you know, a printer, a computer, and yourself. So besides some electronic, which is not that high, you don't waste anything else. And yeah, and if we will be able to use the same material as what we print over and over again, That will be a huge difference because today only 1% of the clothing we wear are actually being recycled. And I believe with 3D printing, we'll be able to recycle much more percentage of what we print and wear. So, so yeah.

How do you clean it?

Great question. So I actually use dishwasher to clean my garments. Oh yeah. The ones that doesn't have some fabric lining, I just put them in a dishwasher and, and, and wash it. Uh, but with the regular, um, you know, uh, the one that has some lining, I have to like hand wash it or dry clean it. Yeah.

Okay. Could you just, I mean, could you wipe it down as well? Is it Is it that thick in its consistency?

Yeah. Well, I don't need to wash them that often, also because it's for the runway uses or for exhibitions. So not really something needed to be cleaned that often, but sometimes there is some marks from makeup and stuff like that, that you want to either wipe it or clean it. Yeah.

Okay. Let me ask the difficult question, Danit. Can you wear this every day? Could I wear this to the gym? You know, when can we get to this point?

I mean, you can definitely wear it outside the street and no one will actually, at least in Tel Aviv, no one will think you're weirdo. But, well, I created this jacket that has a very softness and like very wearable, like to wear it with a pair of jeans, definitely you can. You can wear it to the gym if you like. They're very soft and comfortable and react like an everyday piece of garment. So definitely you can wear it everywhere. But the whole idea that I have around printing these garments are making them more and more similar to what we wear today. So we call it a ready-to-wear kind of collection. So I'm more interested of doing you know, a streetwear coming from high-tech technology, like 3D printing. So, um, so yeah, so I am more interested of making an everyday clothing than a sculpture or very, you know, artistic, uh, kind of clothing. I wanted to make it more and more similar to what we can find in a store, just using the advantages of the 3D printer techniques.

Amazing, because it does, it looks like art in some way, you know, it's like a sort of futurist art project almost. But actually, what you're saying to me is that you're actually really trying to bring this to everyday life.

Yeah, absolutely. That's, that's my aesthetic. And that's if we're talking about the future of fashion or how people will be able to be dressed in the future. That's That's what's inspired me to, when I do the designing process.

Yeah. So where do you think we can go with 3D printed fashion? Do you think it can come into our everyday lives?

I think once materials will evolve, and the printer will be cheaper and faster, definitely there is room for using this technology as a better alternative to the world we know today. And I think it can definitely disrupts the fashion industry and the way we consume and produce fashion. I do think it's very necessary for us to innovate and develop completely new ways for developing fashion because the way it works today is just doesn't make sense. And yeah, I do think there is a huge potential and so many benefits to to 3D print them. Not only the customization side, that of course every print is unique and you can customize a dress so it will fit, you know, or a jacket that it will fit exactly to your measurements, but also personalize it by, you know, writing your name, choosing the color. And maybe in the future, once we'll have better materials, you'll be able to print with cotton if it's a summer day and print with wool if it's this winter and you'll be able to be part of the, um, you know, the material choices when you print your own garment. Um, then of course I don't have any inventory. So every time I get an order, uh, from, uh, you know, from an online customer, I can just produce the jacket. So it will fit exactly to his measurements. Um, but also, uh, for his request. So I don't have inventory. Everything is digital. I am able to communicate with the 3D simulations with my customers. So for example, let's take one of my dresses that I made for the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games in Rio. It was the Olympics that, you know, the one in 2016 in Brazil. And I had to make a dress that fits exactly to the, to the dancer without ever meeting her in person. So that was very challenging. So we used a simple app that she was taking two photos of herself, send it to me. I got all of her measurements just by seeing a figure, digital figure of her measurements. And I placed this information in my computer when I 3D modeled the dress and I printed that for her. So when I arrived there, It fits her like a glove without me ever meeting her in person. And the other side of it, I had to communicate with the committee, what am I going to do for this dress and for this segment? Because it was one of the main segments at the Paralympics opening ceremony. And you know, there is a huge team, a huge creative team around, you know, making a segment like that. So I had to communicate with them, what am I imagining for this dress? So I had to send them a 3D simulation of the dress from every angle. So that was so simple and easy for me to communicate because I didn't have to go and create and produce this many dresses and then send them the physical object. They could just see it from every angle, see how it fits her simulation. So we could do all these changes on demand. So no shipping costs because, you know, everything is digitally. And then in the future, for us as the customers, we also don't need to ship garments from one side of the world to another. You'll be able to manufacture it locally or manufacture it in your house or in a clothes nearby. So, so shipping. Yeah. So no shipping cost is a huge part of the sustainable side of it. And you know, the inventory sometimes are, You know, the big brands produce way too much styles and designs that are not successful and they have to end up as waste underground or, you know, or worse, being burned. So that's definitely— we're becoming asking or being part of the request on what we want to have for us as a customer. So we don't need all this huge inventory anymore. Fashion is the second industry. This is the most polluting industry. So it's the second after energy. So it's just, you know, it shouldn't be this way. There is, must be a better way to do it and must be a better way to create trends, new trends all the time. But, you know, without having all this, leftovers after and footprint that we leave after us. And, you know, and our clothes are also because of that, because fashion is changing so fast, are not designed to be used for more than 5 to 7 wears. So our clothes are almost disposable and, and there is no opportunity to recycle them. So it's just becoming piles and of hundreds of millions of pieces that's just going into landfills and, um, yeah. Yeah.

Incredible, isn't it? When you think about how much water, you know, if you could think next time I throw those socks or that t-shirt away, if you thought about throwing that much water just away.

Yeah.

That's a very interesting way to look at it because you would never do that. No one would ever do that. You know, we all turn the taps off. You know, you don't just leave the taps running all day. Do you know what I mean?

Yeah. I think we're moving in the right direction when people are asking these questions that you're asking and, you know, and bringing this concern and we're looking for better and more ethical fashion. But in order to make a huge difference, we need to change the process from scratch. We need to start from the beginning. Like, is it the only way to do it? Is there other alternatives? How can we make it better? How can we save our planet, basically?

Yeah, absolutely. Do you think we'll be wearing digital clothes?

I think everything in our life will be digital eventually. So just a few years from now, we used to go to this record shop and buy a CD, but now you can just download digital music and no one is thinking about CDs anymore. So, so definitely I think fashion is very physical and it's only— we'll get more and more to the digital side. That's how I believe.

Yeah. Yeah. Which is a good thing. I mean, you obviously design in 3D. So, you know, companies like The Fabricant and people like this who are digital-only fashion houses, you know, do you see yourself maybe moving into that space and selling your collections in 3D on the blockchain?

Oh yeah, absolutely. My goal is not to create the actual garments, is more and more selling the files themselves. And I started this experiment I think a year and a half ago when I launched this bomber jacket that you can see on my website and see it from every angle and choose the color of the lining, choose the color of the 3D printed textile, write your name in the back. It's integrated with this app that takes in your measures so I can create this jacket for you exactly, that will fit exactly to you and then send it to you. But of course, the goal is not me being part of the production, is, you know, having the customers do it for themselves. And we're not quite there technologically, but definitely I think we will get there in the next few years and it will be more and more common to print your clothing. And that's also one of my goals in my work. I do, I educate a lot. I talk a lot about the process, the benefits, and I'm running these workshops and courses to fashion students. So I think that's where it started, right? The fashion students should change the mindset and then embrace new technology and embrace new processes and ideas. And that will inspire them to create better and, you know, and more sustainable fashion using digital tools. So that's definitely one of my missions in my work.

Amazing. Amazing. So you're now passing on this knowledge to young fashion designers of tomorrow?

Absolutely. I'm very open with my process and recipe, and I'm really enjoying teaching and meeting students from all around the world and, you know, makers or people who are curious about new technologies in fashion. So definitely I am—

Amazing.

I'm really enjoying passing on all of my knowledge and creating new collections and talking about the processes and what's new in this technology and continue this conversation.

That's great. How do you do this? Do you do this at schools or do you do it online?

So I, yeah, so both. I am, I have my own course. It's on courses@danitperek.com. Courses.danitzberec.com. And, uh, and yeah, basically everything I learned in the past, uh, 3 years are there in 3-hour-long course with all of the, um, everything you need to know in order to start your journey in 3D printed fashion, basically. So, um, I have amazing, a lot of fashion students literally from all around the world taking this course and experimenting with printing textiles and creating their own 3D modeling of garments. And I definitely see it, seeing this scene growing and growing thanks to this course and, or to, you know, um, the, the curiosity and the interest of new designers to check this technology.

Amazing. Amazing. So courses.danipellic.com. Right.

Yeah.

Yeah. Well, I highly recommend anyone who's listening who wants to know about 3D printing go on there. Um, Danit, look, thank you so much. It's been very, it's been a, it's been a learning journey for me as well. I feel like I've been on a course over the last half an hour or so. So thank you very much. You've been really good. So yeah, that was Danit Peleg. Uh, that's D-A-N-I-T P-E-L-E-G. You can go to her website, danitpeleg.com, to find out more information about training and all the great work that she's doing. I'd just like to thank you all for listening and look forward to catching you again next week where we'll have a conversation with Chris Hillier talking about digitized materials and all of the nuances that go around that. So yeah, join us again next week and until then, have a good one. Bye-bye.