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    3D-printed dresses make it onto Paris Fashion Week catwalk

    3D-printed dresses make it onto Paris Fashion Week catwalk

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    3d printed dresses
    3d printed dresses

    Stratasys' 3D printing technology has made into everything from prototype drone wings to robot exoskeletons for children, but the latest implementation is somewhat more... refined. Iris van Herpen — known for the elaborate dress worn by Björk on her Biophilia album cover — is presenting her Haute Couture show Voltage at Paris Fashion Week, and it features two 3D-printed ensembles. Voltage also includes a dress designed in collaboration with architect Julia Koerner and printed by Materialise.

    Objet Connex 3D printing technology from Stratasys allows for single prints to contain multiple materials, meaning that it can be applied to things like clothes that require both hard and soft elements. It's not the first time van Herpen has been noticed for her 3D-printed dresses — they were listed in Time magazine's top 50 inventions of 2011 — but the bright lights of the Paris runways signal broader mainstream exposure for the clothes themselves.