Fashion Industry Studies graduate student, Camila Cordeiro Valle, offers a glimpse into the future of fashion with her current exhibit in the Design Innovation Hub’s MuseLab.
Valle’s “Exploring 3D Print Waste in Fashion” is a graduate student thesis that seeks to challenge industry standards. Elegant garments dot the room as part of a timeline that takes the viewer on a journey of initial curiosity to full-scale application of 3D print waste in textile design and co-creation.
![Exploring 3D Print Waste in Fashion](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/Image%5B16%5D.jpeg?VersionId=pRfyPUdEahNoGGmp9xdVBJuUsxkMGopm)
“I went to the DI Hub and was like, ‘Hey, what do you have that’s trash?’” Valle said. “I started collecting a bunch of materials and I just started playing with it.”
After initial experimentation, Valle hosted a series of workshops at DI where she taught others how to use the would-be-wasted filament on items like tote bags and t-shirts. These workshops, she said, were invaluable to her creative process.
![Mannequins wearing garments made from 3D Print Waste](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/3D%20Print%20Waste%20Photo.png?VersionId=kMedg7rhH2T0Kj3uttAf9VYD6e1Mv6GW)
“A lot of times in the industry, we just think that we need to do stuff by ourselves and that's not how we evolve as a society,” Valle said.
The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries and the transition to sustainable materials will prove to be a challenge for the designers of today. By getting a head start with experimentation of biodegradable materials such as PLA filament, Valle said she hopes to broaden the approach to sustainability.
![Image of t-shirts on a wall](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/Image%5B61%5D.jpeg?VersionId=YrbwQPjusJMzJjFdCYUL6fu7fjVXQB70)
“It’s not an option to be sustainable anymore,” she said. “It’s a tool as a designer.”
Visit the "Exploring 3D Print Waste in Fashion" exhibit in the DI HUB though Friday, March 10 located in the MuseLab (2nd floor, Room 231).