It’s tough to keep up with Stratasys, which is applying its 3D printing technology to everything from Olympic luge sleds to anatomic heart models for medical students to work on. But one of the more unexpected associations for this Eden Prairie-based company is its ties to the fashion industry. Everyone from luxury design houses around the world to comfort shoe brand ECCO is calling on Stratasys to help create the future of fashion. Imagine a shoe that learns about you as you wear it to improve design in the next generation. It’s one of dozens of wearable products Stratasys is using its 3D printing technology to develop with industry partners. The projects range from printing on chiffon to creating wearable items out of flexible material typically used for anatomic models. A few years ago, 3D printing in fashion tended to concentrate on novelty such as sculptural add-ons to textiles. A 2019 breakthrough enabled Stratasys to 3D-print directly onto textiles. Now the company’s global design network is working on a wide variety of projects that could improve sustainability and efficiency, and determine trends. “It’s a new consciousness, a new understanding,” says Belgium-based Stratasys creative director Naomi Kaempfer. “We’re creating new trends and new possibilities.”

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