Wolford Pioneers 3D Printed Lingerie
By ELLEN LEWIS
When I was in college around 1970, one of my friends switched his major from architecture to computer science. I didn’t get it. Computers were not part of the public lexicon until later in the decade. I saw my first cell phone in Hong Kong in the mid 80’s (even though the technology was invented in the 1940’s) when one of my vendors removed an arm long version from his briefcase while we were at dinner. Email didn’t take off until 1990 as the internet gained momentum. Dial up was the only access and broadband became relevant in the early 2000’s. But rest assured, the science behind these initiatives began years before. Clearly my classmate was as insightful as I was oblivious while he studied for a career in a revolutionary field.
This parallels the evolution of 3D printing which was birthed in 1981. Now, almost 40 years later, the technology, already viable in many channels of industrial production, is percolating in the fashion industry. But when it comes to apparel, how can this work, particularly for lingerie, by nature delicate, intimate and necessarily soft? The challenge is formidable.
Wolford, already recognized by retailers and consumers worldwide for their ground breaking legwear technology, has risen to the challenge to become the first Intimate Apparel Company to design and develop 3D printed bras as well as panties and shapewear. The 3W Skin bra; wireless, weightless and wearable is engineered with a patent pending process that utilizes a flocked silicone printing process on a single piece of fabric. Consumer reaction to the initial 2017 launch of 2 bras and 2 panties has precipitated a second generation development of 3D products, in which the styles are constructed with 3D printing fused between the fabric layers for an even silkier hand feel. Nine shapes: 4 bras, 2 panties and 3 shaping pieces are now available in 5 neutral colors for sizes 34-38, A-DD and XS to L. Once again, Wolford is the vanguard of a technology that solves a problem and can change the face of intimate apparel.
“Every Once in a While, a New Technology, an Old Problem, and a Big Idea Turn Into an Innovation”
Dean Kamen
