Find it tricky deciding what to wear in the morning? Bored with what’s in your wardrobe? Come 2050, these could no longer be daily concerns, according to designer Joshua Harris.
3D printers are already appearing in garden sheds and garages around the world as hobbyists tinker and develop their own designs in the comfort of their own homes. But Joshua believes that using this technology to print out clothing will be the norm in the coming 40 years, as 3D printers take their place among other household appliances we use every day.
He believes this idea will revolutionize the fashion retail industry, as it brings clothing production into the home. Currently, the 3D Clothing Printer is just a concept but according to Joshua, making our own clothes at home; with fewer resources and in less time would become a necessity by 2050. As more and more people would migrate to the cities, the fashion trends would change and as a result, people would start looking for new clothes.
“Being able to print your clothes in-house (literally) would mean there are no wasteful transportation costs or factory costs associated with the clothes you buy,” he stated. “Not only is this saving you money, but it’s also saving the environment – a combination your rarely hear these days.”
So how is the Clothing Printer going to work?
The Clothing Printer would come with thread cartridges of different colors and you can use seven different cartridges at a time, that are placed inside the printer. According to Joshua, fashion designers can make cartridges for their clothes and once the user buys the cartridge they can then directly print them at home. In case you are bored of a particular cloth, you can put it back into the printer and it would be broken down into threads, these threads would then get into the cartridge and can be used in future.
Mr. Harris’ design was placed in the semifinals of the annual Electrolux design competition in 2010 and the brief for contestants was to come up with a solution to deal with the rapid urbanization of the population by 2050. It certainly would make our lives easier and our clothes more manageable. Sadly we’d be out of a job but just think of all the endless possibilities!
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