Five young fashion designers form the reknown Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp designed a collection by not using needle or thread, but a lasercutter. They were invite to try this new technology by the Post Couture-collective that wants to introduce a new era in the production of sustainable and affordable clothing.
Their vision is based on the principles of open-source, and they want to use 21st century technology. They work with high-tech material made from recycled PET bottles or recycled fibres that can be recycled again after being worn. If you purchase an item you receive the garments as made-to-measure construction kits, or you can use a laser cutter in your local Makerspace after downloading the digital design online. This innovative way of producing clothing close to and with the end-user gives the garments an added value that mass-produced fashion can never attain. In local production facilities garments will only be made when they are sold, so left-over stock in stores will be a thing of the past. To accomplish their vision, they are building a global network of designers, technical researchers and production locations. In collaboration they develop online collections for production on laser cutters and 3D printers. This way the designs can be shared digitally and manufactured locally and on-demand.
