It’s summer, which means every ladymag in the known universe is talking about how to “get you ready” for bikini season. And usually we’d balk at that kind of thing, except when it comes with a strange and cool twist like this: Jenna Fizel and Mary Haung, designers from Cambridge, Massachusetts, have created a 3D printed bikini. Created by Continuum Fashion, described by their site as “Part fashion label, part experimental design lab,” the N12 bikini was invented as a result of the designers’ urge to create a garment “all in one piece, with the closures included, so no sewing is needed. It would be akin to knitwear, where the textile and the clothing pattern are designed in unity and made at the same time.”
According to Shapeways, all previous use of 3D has been purely experimental or used for haute couture, unavailable for purchase. Their bikini, however, is marketed as the first affordable 3D fashion available to the public — if you have $200 to spare on a bathing suit.
Oh, and the bottoms are lined for more comfort and “wearability,” aka so the bumpy things all over the suit won’t poke you in some very uncomfortable places. And we have yet to see how flexible (or supportive) the fabric is. But it sure does look cool.
(via Continuum)
