First Ever 3D Printed Vegan Haute Couture Dress Presented at Paris Fashion Week

Recently, during this year’s Fashion Week in Paris, a 3D printed haute couture dress was presented, which was designed by Dutch Fashion Designer Iris van Herpen. The dress is the result of a collaboration between the designer and Belgian ice cream brand Magnum and was made with a vegan biomaterial based on waste cocoa bean husks.

Iris van Herpen is not new to the idea of combining 3D printing with fashion. The Amsterdam-based star designer already created a number of outfits that included 3D printed elements, that were presented at the most prestigious fashion shows around the world. Her most recent creation is another fantastic example of what can be done with the help of additive manufacturing. The dress, which was presented on the catwalk by supermodel Cindy Bruna at the event in Paris, is the world’s first 3D-printed haute couture vegan dress. The brown color and shape of the dress as well as its material were inspired by the vegan ice creams made by Magnum.

Designer Iris van Herpen

Creating The Vegan Dress

To fulfill her vision of the dress, Iris van Herpen sought help from Klarenbeek and Dros. The Zaandam-based design studio specializes in creating bioorganic materials and has previously created a variety of biopolymers made from organic materials such as algae, mycelium, and seaweed. Together, the team managed to create an organic biopolymer that was made from waste cocoa bean husks, which are left over in huge amounts in the cocoa industry. The haute couture piece features a three-dimensional design, combining the appearance of Magnum chocolate-coated ice cream with Iris van Herpen’s signature luxury fluid style. The garment’s brown fabric is equipped with entangled, copper-coated elements that are reminiscent of the roots of a tree. These elements were 3D printed by using selective laser sintering (SLS) technology.