Vojd Studios founders Christian Hartung and Hristiyana Vucheva. Image © Vojd Studios
Symbiosis Between Craftsmanship and Technology: A Conversation with Vojd Studios
New technologies such as 3D printing are becoming an integral part of the fashion industry’s design and manufacturing process. Data Aided Design connected with Vojd Studios to discuss their approach to creating 3D printed garments, accessories, and jewelry in the fashion luxury market.
When was the company founded, and what are the main fields of expertise of your company?
The company was founded in 2013 by Christian Hartung (CEO) and Hristiyana Vucheva (Creative Director) with an initial focus on offering personalizable 3D printed home and fashion accessories that are manufactured on demand. Soon VOJD concentrated on smaller objects for higher price points and started working together with renown brands for a variety of series manufacturing runs. In our projects, we try to adopt the best of both worlds. 3D printing is the main manufacturing technology we use, but the finishing of the products involves a lot of precise manual work and traditional skilled craftsmanship – a collaborative approach that we believe would push forward the applications of digital manufacturing in the future. Today, VOJD specializes in the research, development and manufacturing of 3D printed accessories and jewelry for the top tier of the global fashion and luxury market.
What are the possibilities related to combining 3D printing technologies and traditional craftsmanship?
We are firm believers that classic craftsmanship and new technologies should not be juxtaposed, on the contrary, it is the symbiosis between tradition and innovation that catalyzes progress. In our projects, we try to adopt the best of both worlds. 3D printing is the main manufacturing technology we use, but the finishing of the products involves a lot of precise manual work and traditional skilled craftsmanship – a collaborative approach that we believe would push forward the applications of digital manufacturing in the future.
“We are firm believers that classic craftsmanship and new technologies should not be juxtaposed, on the contrary, it is the symbiosis between tradition and innovation that catalyzes progress.”
Can you describe the design process and development behind the collection in partnership with Akris?
The world-renowned Swiss fashion house Akris partnered with leading luxury 3d printing house VOJD Studios to show architectural 3d printed rings at Paris Fashion Week. The pieces in silver and polyamide, which were first shown at the Akris SS16 Défilé on October 4th 2015, were designed by Akris Creative Director Albert Kriemler and inspired by the Naoshima Pavilion – a polyhedron geometric structure by the Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto. The collaboration with Akris was an important step for VOJD Studios and the whole 3d printing industry in enabling the technology to be utilized by the high-end fashion industry and allows Akris to introduce a small series of intricate pieces in 7 colors for their runway. This was the first time Akris works with the 3d printing technology selective laser sintering for creating ready-to-wear pieces.
What will be the future evolution data’s use and the latest technologies in the fashion design industry?
Presumably one of the most referenced benefits of 3D printing is the ability of the technology to build customized and personalized pieces since each item is printed separately and without the prior requirement of creating a mold. The latter typically incurs substantial fixed costs which can only be amortized through the manufacturing of a large quantity of identical products. In the near future, the elimination of this requirement can lead to easier personalization, thus an increased role of the consumer in the ideation and making of the final product they buy. Besides that, 3D printing enables creative freedom and design complexities, which are impossible or too expensive to achieve with alternative manufacturing technologies. This, combined with the introduction of new materials and properties over the next years, can direct the aesthetics of the future and transform most creative industries, including fashion.
