Laser cut shirts and jackets, 3D printed jewelry, and an apocalyptic-theme strutted the runway at Phoenix Fashion Week’s Shop Garment District where emerging designer Azmara Asefa showcased her futuristic designs.
Azmara’s brand tagline is “Apocolypse. Ready.” and while her inspiration comes from futuristic style, her laser cutting and 3d printing skills come from her education and experience in architecture.
“My brand is all about future and apocalypse,” Azmara said. Her line is moto-themed and based off the novel Brave New World where people are fabricated on an assembly line. Her line reflects the novels by using man-made materials like neoprene and meshes. She began her brand back in 2013.
“Architecture is slow, it could take up to 10 years for a high-rise to get built, and it can take a year for a store to get built,” Azmara said. “Fashion you make something up and you can have it within a few days, so it’s really satisfying.”
Azmara uses materials like wood, plastic, and even metal to 3D print her jewelry. While her works could cost more than usual to produce, she designs her jewelry and clothes in a cost-effective way by using co-op machines for laser cutting and 3D printing.
“I’m learning to make my process more functional so it can be sold more readily,” she said. “It’s not always sellable. It’s more of art rather than function.”
READ: Stay fashionable day to night with the latest smart jewelry
Soon, Azmara will be releasing a fully laser cut dress and 3D printed cuff that can turn into a glove. However, a 3D printed outfit wouldn’t be too practical, according to Azmara.
“Right now I see it more as a show piece, not something people can really wear,” she said. “With Google Watch, people are getting interested in it and corporations are investing in it. It’s just a matter of time before we start to wear technology more in our textile clothing and not just our wrist watch.”
Tech isn’t just fusing with fashion designs, but with the fashion industry as a whole. Phoenix Fashion Week recently announced that they are building a mobile app in partnership with ShopGate that will allow them to engage more with their audience and followers.
“We’ve been talking about this for about a couple of years lightly. This year we were reopening the website and we felt it was a good time to do it in an all in one bundle,” Phoenix Fashion Week executive director Brian Hill said. “We will be keeping all our fans and followers up to date on the latest views.”
The app will be launched at Phoenix Fashion Week at the beginning of October. App users will be able to see behind-the-scenes images and content, purchase apparel, and buy tickets for all of their events.
The audience will be able to vote for emerging designers and models via the app during fashion shows as well.
For more event coverage, click here.
