3D printing takes fashion to the next dimension

3D printing has been making the headlines for a while now. And now, it is opening up a whole new world for the fashion industry.

The global fashion scene first saw 3D printed clothes paraded on the catwalk at Paris Fashion Week in 2013. The acclaimed collection was created by designer Iris Van Herpen using 3D printers. In the same year, Victoria’s Secret also jumped on the bandwagon with its first pair of 3D-printed wings during its world-renowned annual show.

Volumental, a Swedish footwear company, recently created a revolutionary service where customers are able to scan their feet and get shoes with the exact measurements perfect fit. 

What does this mean for the future of the fashion industry? Let’s keep our eyes open for the next leap of innovation.

User generated content is the voice your brand needs

Here’s how to create a conversation with your customers: letting them create your ads.

Apple’s ever-popular iPhone 6 once again makes the headlines with billboards and print ads created using the photos taken by its users with the phone’s camera. While Oreo takes it up a notch by inviting artists to illustrate its billboards around New York, Los Angeles and Indianapolis. 

With customer relationship being a top priority of most brands today, what better way is there to tell your customers that you love them, than to let them know that you love what they do? 

Can Tinder work for your brand?

Tinder is probably one of the world’s most popular smartphone dating app. It’s easy. You simply scroll through a gallery of photos from potential dates, tap to ‘like’ their picture, and if he or she also likes yours, you can start chatting.

But how relevant is this for your brand?

Ex Machina, an upcoming science fiction movie, recently promoted its main character, Ava, on Tinder. Played by the Swedish actress Alicia Vikander, Ava is a bot created by scientists and is claimed to be the most advanced form of artificial intelligence ever. To make her character come out of the big screen and onto the touchscreens, a Tinder profile was created for her.

Potential dates that started chatting to Ava soon came to realise that she was merely a fictional character in the movie, and were encouraged to view the trailer and promotional poster for it.

The concept of this marketing stunt ties in closely with the mind-bending possibilities of artificial intelligence and how they would interact with humans in the real world, exactly the themes they are trying to explore in Ex Machina. In short, it’s brilliant.

New Tree makes you indulge the trends

Let's try some chocolate with thyme, ginger or pure lavender.

New Tree's chocolate makes you indulge the trends. Health-, wellbeing sustainability-, and design trends are all incorporated in their product concept for chocolate bars. Or as the company puts it: "Savor life, savor flavor, savor health, savor sustainability"

Love has no labels – a viral success

This Valentine’s Day, the Ad Council, HelpsGood.com and R/GA teamed up to show the world that Love Has No Labels. The screen showed skeletons in acts of simple love and then people emerge from around the corner to demonstrate that love has no boundaries, no gender, no race or age. 

The video helps to start a conversation about this important issue that affects everyone. By showing how love exists in many, many different ways, it implores us to educate and watch ourselves when biases surface. Having them influences how we treat and interact with people, and becoming aware of implicit biases can go a long way in helping to end them.