Unfolding The Fold

Arantza Vilas is a designer and researcher based in the United Kingdom. Her project titled "Unfolding the Fold" explores the nexus of 3D printing technology and manual pleating techniques. The project aims to understand how the combination of these two distinct but opposing practices can lead to innovative results and what benefits technology can bring to an ancient craft that has been around for centuries.

The "Unfolding the Fold" project is funded by a DYCP award by The Arts Council of England and has gained significant support from Stratasys, a 3D printing solutions provider. Vilas believes that combining the traditional pleating techniques with 3D printing technology could have an enormous potential for fashion designers and architects, considering the vast possibilities that the outcome could present.

The project also seeks to translate the tacit knowledge and dexterity required for traditional pleating to improve the 3D-printing process, enabling designers to achieve better results. Through the project's exploration, Vilas aims to identify the fundamental principles of pleating and translate these into design guidelines for 3D-printing. In conclusion, the "Unfolding the Fold" project could offer a gateway to augmenting the traditional craft of pleating with modern 3D-printing technology, opening up new and innovative possibilities for fashion designers, architects, and all other design fields. Through her research, Arantza Vilas strives to expand the horizons of traditional craft and explore the possibilities of technological advancement.

Arantza Vilas

3DFashion™ direct-to-textile 3D printing technology 

Images by Sylvain Deleu. Selected pieces in collaboration with Aleksandar Bursać.