Variable Seams

Modular fashion is all about creating garments from smaller, interlocking pieces that you can assemble, disassemble, and reassemble to suit your style or needs over time. Think of it as fashion’s answer to LEGO, where every piece is designed to fit together perfectly, allowing for endless customisation. The idea of clothes that can adapt to your needs fascinates me—it’s about more than just looking good; it’s about garments evolving with you, extending their life, and making fashion more sustainable in the process. At Variable Seams, I’ve taken this concept a step further by combining modular design with 3D printing. Traditional fabrics limit your options when it comes to creating modular designs. Most fabrics fray, and only a handful like neoprene or leather are stiff enough to hold the connections. But with 3D printing, those limitations disappear. The materials are stronger, more flexible, and don’t fray, giving you complete freedom to design intricate shapes and patterns. Plus, 3D printing is much more sustainable—there’s no fabric waste, and you only use the material you need. The benefits of modular fashion go beyond just creativity. It’s about adaptability and repairability. Imagine being able to replace just the worn-out part of your favourite garment, instead of discarding the whole thing. Or changing the colour of your outfit with the seasons by swapping out a few modules. And because the connections are strong but not permanent, you can easily make these changes yourself, without any special tools or skills. This concept ties into something I’m passionate about: design for disassembly. In a world where fast fashion often means disposable clothing, I believe we need to rethink how we design and use our garments. By making clothes that are easy to take apart and put back together, we’re encouraging a more sustainable approach to fashion—one where you can repair, customise, and adapt your wardrobe to your evolving needs. Assembling modular garments is a hands-on experience that’s as rewarding as it is creative. Each module has hooks and holes that fit together in a repeating pattern, creating a fabric that’s as unique as you are. The process can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. All you need is patience—and maybe a good series to binge-watch while you put your masterpiece together! If you’re new to modular fashion, don’t worry—I’ve got you covered. I’m working on an interactive card game that will guide you through the process of designing your own modular fabric, whether you’re a complete beginner or already an experienced maker. It’s a fun and engaging way to dive into the world of modular fashion and start creating pieces that are truly one-of-a-kind.

The collaboration with Balena won the Red Dot Design Award for Design Concept 2024! 🏆✨ Winning this award with the modular pants 3D printed with Balena's compostable material is incredibly special. It's a huge leap from 2018 when the 3D-printed parametric lingerie project made it to the design concept shortlist but didn’t quite make the cut. The experience pushed me to keep going and here we are today! The journey with Balena has been nothing short of amazing. I was looking for a filament to replace the plastics and innovate what circular fashion could look like. Their BioCir FlexTex 3D material brings durability and wearability to 3D printed fashion - the first compostable and stretchy filament on the market. I hope many more will follow. 🙌 For me, winning this award is a celebration of the power of collaboration, persistence and innovation. ;) I am looking forward to the award ceremony (virtually) in Singapore this October! 🎉 #RedDotDesignAward #DesignConcept2024 #3DPrinting #Innovation #CircularDesign #Collaboration #AdditiveManufacturing #3DprintedFashion #3DprintedFabric #3DprintedTextile #ModularFashion #Fashion 

Looking back fondly on sharing 5 different ways to 3D print fabrics during PI Apparel Milan 2024. Recognise my outfit from anywhere? 😏 The collaboration of the 3D-printed pants went live on the same day I presented! What's special about Balena's filament is that it's the first compostable & stretchy alternative to fossil-fuel-based flexible filament on the market. Read more about their FlexTex3D material here: https://lnkd.in/e4rkPRej. The 5 different ways to 3D print textiles at home: 1) Use the infill generated by your slicer program as the texture of the fabric. 2) Create an image of your 'yarns' and print these at 100% infill. 3) Vertically woven - method described by Haruki Takahashi & Jeeeun Kim in their 2019 research paper. 4) Create independently moving modules - much like chain maille. 5) Program the print path for a non-planar textile. And yes, all of the above is truly possible at home! The printer I used to 3D print the modular pants is £200, it's so much more accessible than you may have thought. Let me know if you would like a more detailed explanation of the different methods, happy to share! :) Credits for the right picture: Photographer: Marina Tyson  Model: the beautiful Emma Weaver from M+P Models Make-up: Miriam Spanu Credits for the left picture: Photograph by PI Apparel #3DprintedFashion #3DprintedFabric #3DprintedTextile #ModularFashion #Fashion #Innovation

My journey in 3D printing fashion began seven years ago, fuelled by a desire to challenge unsustainable parts of the fashion industry. One of the downsides of 3D printing, however, is the limited availability of alternatives to fossil fuel-based (flexible!) filaments.  During my masters, I tried to make an alternative biomaterial and discovered how difficult it is to create stretchable filaments, and unfortunately had to conclude that this was not a project I could do by myself. Throughout my exploration, I had faith that there are more people concerned with and working on solving this problem, so I focussed on designing garments with disassembly in mind, which already encourages circularity through ease of repair and recycling at the end of life. Ready to swap out the plastics when the opportunity arose. Being included in this collaboration with Balena signifies more than just a partnership — it's a testament to the power of collective action and shared values. Together, we are not only pushing the boundaries of 3D printing fashion, I also hope this will inspire positive change within the industry. #3DprintedFashion #3DprintedFabric #3DprintedTextile #ModularFashion #Fashion #Innovation