How many wedding dresses are in one file size?
As far as we know, Brazilian tax lawyer Mariana Pavani walked down the aisle on May 11 in a high-tech creation by Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen, a pioneer in 3D printed clothing, whose first design in 2010 was a fierce creation. This work, which resembles overlapping seashells, was recently exhibited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
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In contrast, Pavani’s wedding dress has an otherworldly elegance; Futuristic frosting along the bodice and throat gives it a rugged look that belies its flexibility and durability.
“There’s no stitching. You can’t do that with a typical pattern,” said van Herpen, whose workshop in Amsterdam took 600 hours to realize the design, before which he spent a lot of time using ZBrush, a digital sculpture software.
“This was truly a dream project for me, because 3D printed fashions are in museums and on catwalks, but to have someone wear this on the most special day of their life, I think it’s really something else,” he said.
“I wanted a really unusual dress, something unique,” Pavani said, speaking via Zoom from her home in São Paulo about a week before the ceremony. “I was hoping from the beginning that you would incorporate 3D printing into the design of the dress.”
The process began with a 3D body scan of Pavani, requiring custom-fitting of the hand-knitted bodysuit for several individuals and then meticulously combining the delicate fabric and 3D-printed elements, performed at a dedicated facility in Paris.
According to Van Herpen, the file size of the 3D design was 216.7 MB and took 41 hours to print.
She noted that several test runs have been done for 3D printed elements and complex pleats whose pattern must match the bodice design. “So there is fluidity and movement as well as sculptural elements. And that’s the duality that I really love,” said the designer, who had a background in dance before becoming a fashion designer.
Despite all the high-tech elements and experiments, the end result unleashed powerful human emotions.
“It was one of those moments when she put the dress on and she started crying, and it was so magical,” Van Herpen said, sighing happily and lifting her eyes to the sky.
“I had a hard time holding back my tears,” Pavani admitted. “We achieved everything I hoped for… The final design makes me feel strong and feminine, it’s such a unique and one-of-a-kind look.”
Pavani also praised van Herpen’s “wonderful team” for making him feel “welcome and part of the creative process.” A lot of work also went into making sure the final design fit and felt correctly on my body. They thought of everything; how the dress will fit, the way the dress moves and feels, and even the length of the veil depending on the chapel where we will be getting married.”
Pavani said her fiancé, composer and art collector Roberto Toscano, introduced her to van Herpen’s work and arranged tickets for his fall 2022 fashion show in Paris.
“I found it very moving: the movement of the dresses, the flow of the collection, and Iris’s love of nature really spoke to me,” he recalled. “We immediately started talking to the team to see if a wedding dress could be created.”
Van Herpen described a strong complicity with Pavani, who shared his love of nature, art and pushing boundaries.
“I wanted to bring femininity but with a cutting-edge vibe because she is anything but ordinary. She is truly not afraid to express herself,” the designer praised Pavani. “We both think fashion is an art form. And so she really dares to express herself and embody that femininity, but also with the influences of new technology.”
Combining traditional couture techniques such as pleating, draping and beading with high-tech elements such as silicone molding and laser cutting, Van Herpen sees both as central to the brand DNA.
He was dazzled by the capabilities of the Paris printing house he had discovered only a year before. “The quality of the flexible material is very, very good,” he said of the nylon polymer known as PA 12. “He can sit in it, do everything without losing flexibility over time.”
Misconceptions about 3D printing in fashion still abound, and many think it is technically off limits.
“It’s a very complex process. Yes, you need to be familiar with it, but once you understand it I don’t think it’s much more difficult than some of the traditional ways of working,” van Herpen said.
As for lingering beliefs that 3D printed fashions are unwearable, “that’s history because it’s super comfortable with the materials and flexibilities you have today.”
“It was exactly where I hoped it would be at the time,” he said — “at the time” he noticed his first 3D-printed garment in 2010. He said it took many years of innovation and “stress testing” for scientists to overcome “limitations on the durability of elasticity.”
In fact, Pavani’s dress does not require extraordinary care or use. “Cleaning is like any precious wedding look: You can’t put it in the washing machine, but it’s okay for dry cleaning. And you can put it on the hanger for storage. It’s very light,” van Herpen said.
According to Van Herpen, 3D printing “creates a lot of freedom” when designing, explaining, “The look you see on this bride is not something we could do any other way. There’s no way we could do that by hand because of the sculptural complexity of these files. You can’t do that with any form of mold making.” .
“I also love perfection and therefore smoothness, cleanliness is something I really love,” she added. “I think a lot of people are still a little scared of the process [of 3D-printing] because it’s different, but it gives you so much freedom when you have it.”
However, “you have to keep your eyes open about what’s happening in different parts of the world because 3D printing is truly global,” he said.
Pavani said that she never expected everyone to appreciate it as much as she did, given that her wedding dress reached a point where no dress had ever gone before.
“As with any art, there will be different opinions about dress. “I accept that,” he said. “But for me, the 3D printed structure tied around the neck is extremely symbolic. The shape of the neck element brings to mind the eyes of an owl, which is often associated with wisdom in the Brazilian Candomblé religion. “Both spirituality and nature are areas that I am deeply interested in.”
In fact, Pavani sees the dress, which she plans to display in her apartment, as a work of art.
“Both Roberto and I are very proud to have Iris design my wedding dress,” she said. “This is a masterpiece.”
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