Zac Posen, an American fashion designer, worked with GE Additive and Protolabs for six months leading up to the event to create a series of 3D printed garments and accessories.
“I dreamt the collection, GE Additive helped engineer it and Protolabs printed it,” says Posen.
A total of four gowns and a headdress featuring 3D printed elements and structures were unveiled at the Met Gala, where celebrities revealed their take on this year’s theme – ‘camp.’
Every year the event has a different theme, not just for the celebrities’ costumes but also to set the tone for the annual exhibit.
British supermodel Jourdan Dunn wore a custom Zac Posen x GE Additive x Protolabs rose gown, featuring 21 unique petals averaging 20” in size and weighing around 450g each.
With his vision and foresight, Posen is demonstrating that almost anything is possible with 3D printing”
The petals, made from Accura Xtreme White 200 durable plastic, were fastened into place using an invisible modular cage, designed to a 3D recreation of Dunn’s body.
The printing and finishing of the rose gown took over 1,100 hours and was 3D printed at Protolabs’ facility in North Carolina – one of the largest in the world.
Actresses Nina Dobrev, Katie Holmes, Julia Garner and Bollywood icon, Deepika Padukone were all adorning designs created using 3D printing using a variety of methods, including a stereolithography (SLA) machine, GE Additive’s Arcam EBM metal additive manufacturing machine and a Metal Jet Fusion machine.
Holmes adorned a custom Zac Posen gown with a palm leaf collar accessory, created using 3D print. Posen himself wore some 3D printed palm leaf lapel brooches, finished in pearlescent purple and gold paint, mirroring the detail of Holmes’ outfit.
What might seem like an unlikely collaboration ... in fact makes complete sense when you consider the transformative impact 3D printing is having”
Actor Andrew Garfield and art dealer Vito Schnabel, guests of Posen, both wore 3D printed rose cufflinks to mirror the rose gown worn by Jourdan Dunn. The cufflinks were made using Protolabs’ MicroFine Green material, finished with colour-changing red and gold paint.
In a statement, GE Additive says: “With his vision and foresight, Zac Posen is demonstrating that almost anything is possible with 3D printing. He and his team are not afraid to push the boundaries of what is possible.
"His latest collaboration is a continuation of his vision of incorporating cutting-edge technology and innovation in his sophisticated and glamorous style.
“What might seem like an unlikely collaboration of design engineers and Zac Posen - one of the fashion industry's leading lights, at the forefront of innovation - in fact makes complete sense when you consider the transformative impact 3D printing is having on our everyday lives.”
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