Julia Daviy is a co-founder of the New Age Lab, the first 3D printed fashion design and manufacturing full-cycle organization in the USA and the world.
The New Age Lab started by reengineering large-format 3D printers to make Julia's first flexible and wearable clothing collection possible in 2018.
New Age Lab developed its 3D printer specifically for fashion products but decided to postpone its launch. At the same time, the design and engineering studio packed with different types of 3D printers has served to develop many other innovative projects.
In 2019, when Julia launched the Organic skirt project, New Age Lab began the manufacturing base for 3D printing. The clothes was produced with no more than 2% of waste in the 3D printing process.
"3D printing is known as a way to produce less waste compared to traditional manufacturing. However, if you dive deeply into this topic, you start realizing that the sustainability of 3D printing is not given for granted. Close to zero waste, water usage, and carbon emissions require following a certain developed method and guidance."
The first method for zero-impact 3D printing of fashion products became one of many innovations that appeared in New Age Lab. Julia and New Age Lab are also known as pioneers in 4D printing of clothing and accessories and creators of the first multicolour 3D-printed highly flexible clothes, from shirts to jackets.
Last year Julia presented the first digital 3D-printed art bag collection. This spring she is launching a circular line of a digital 3D-printable jewellery collection, that for the first time, is connected to NFT.
Julia has always been fascinated by science and ideas to rebuild the economy to make it eco-friendly and serving the planet's well-being. Before starting 3D printing for the fashion industry, she had become a pioneer in building a cleantech industry in the emerging markets from Central Europe to Asia and contributed to the development of numerous investment projects in CEE cleantech and solar energy.
"In my childhood, I invented a folding micro-bag that turned into a large one quickly." Despite her breakthrough ideas for the fashion industry, Julia had never considered working within fashion until she expected hardship trying to live an eco-friendly lifestyle. She defined the wardrobes as one of the biggest challenges for our lifestyle changes.
She has spent her school years in the specialized physics and math gymnasium, besides 20 hours per week, she took additional ones and participated in the science competitions. Julia was preparing to enter the physics educational program in one of the world's best universities in this field until she discovered the impact of current business models on the environment. She wanted to change it and got a degree in Environmental science and, lately, International Economics.
Her very first fashion business was a brand of activewear made of organic fabrics and organic dying. This project helped her conclude that sustainable fashion requires a radical change at each stage of the product value chain. "Long before that, I had already started to learn the application of different kinds of technology in fashion. I turned to that and found enormous potential in the digitization of fashion production and additive manufacturing."
It was a moment when Julia began experimenting with 3D printing. She passed many programs in this field, from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign to MIT's innovative design program to obtain unique expertise.
Her designs and manufacturing processes imitate nature and are made environmentally conscious. Julia describes them as "environment-centered." She widely uses mimicry, creating organic designs and re-inventing the processes imitating the process of growth.
"Nature does not build by parts, neither do we in New Age Lab. I believe in a shift from the world of components to the world of product growth."
Julia's work evolved over the years and defined the world around her and her team. "Imagine the building made of bricks. Today we have these organic shapes in architecture brought by Zaha Hadid, in particular. These organic shape buildings are changing the city culture."
The recent Morphogenesis Collection implemented this architectural design approach. The collection includes unique bags which are digitally designed and grown from liquid under the lasers. The bags involve parametric or computational design, digital customization, and 3D
printing. It is made with several compartments for the essentials, which makes it a perfect everyday bag and special occasions.
"We have used five different types of 3D printing technology and seven materials."
3D printing is complex and includes more than 11 different technologies. Although it stated on social media how it is a sustainable approach to 3D, Julia noted that it is not always the case.
"It all depends on a particular case, manufacturing, business model, and specific enterprise. For example, 3D printing of clothing from many plastic pieces that are glued in one single piece later is far from sustainable."
3D does not stand in one place, and Julia believes that the additive manufacturing process for the fashion industry alone "is the topic for the entire book."
She emphasized that after the New Age Lab began releasing 3D designs, other designers claimed that their 3D products are also sustainable. "That devalues the real work for the sustainability of 3D printing, which is quite complex. The statement '3D printed is sustainable' is misleading. 3D printing, can be different. We need to look deeply into the details".
Close to zero waste, radically less CO2, almost zero water usage, short-chain, and aim to organize a close loop along with cruelty-free, ethical, traceable practices , makes Julia Daviy products sustainable.
"3D printing is now our present. It is growing exponentially. The complete transition to it is the question of 'when' not 'if.' With all its imperfections,limitations and peculiarities of usage, it is far more advanced than conventional manufacturing."