Michelangelo was famously quoted as saying that “every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it”. In that vein, making pretty much anything, including clothing, is traditionally done through what is called a detractive methodology; that is, we start with a material and take away what we don’t want, to leave what we do.
In 3D printing this process is reversed. It is called additive manufacturing because you start with nothing and add what you need. In its simplest form, a 3D printer effectively converts a digital file into a three-dimensional object through a printing technique where layers of material are added on top of the other to slowly build an object.
Still considered fairly futuristic, 3D printing has actually been around for almost 30 years.
It was originally used predominately by engineers as a means of rapidly prototyping an object for testing prior to manufacture, hence its original name of rapid prototyping. It was only by the mid 2000s that 3D printer manufacturers like MakerBot and Shapeways popularised desktop 3D printers, making them affordable and accessible for the general public, artists and designers alike. Now everything from musical instruments to jewellery, medical devices, household items and clothing can be printed with a range of materials, including plastics, metal, glass, paper and wood.
New couture
While there were early proponents of 3D printing in fashion, it took some time to take hold in any serious way. One of the first to create complex, poetic and beautiful designs with it was Dutch fashion designer, Iris Van Herpen, who is widely recognised as one of fashion’s most futuristic creators. Showing in the Paris couture shows since 2011, Herpen creates a modern perspective on haute couture that combines fine handwork with digital technology, a process she calls New Couture.
Considered a pioneer in working with 3D printing and inspired by shells, insects and bones, Van Herpen’s work appears organic and natural, albeit supernatural in nature. Her designs have been featured in a multitude of museum exhibitions, with six of her dresses included in MoMA’s highly acclaimed Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology exhibition. She has also collaborated with celebrities such as Bjork, Tilda Swinton, Lady Gaga and Daphne Guinness, to name just a few.
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Read more from Sass Brown:
Countering consumption with a new-look approach
In the future will we all be wearing lab-grown leather and mushroom skin?
Eliminating fashion waste from the source
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Studio Bitonti is another design-focused innovation company that works across creative disciplines to produce jewellery, accessories, furniture, tableware and apparel. Designer and founder Francis Bitonti is renowned for producing a 3D printed dress for burlesque dancer, Dita von Teese, which was made from 3,000 unique moving parts and thousands of Swarovski crystals.
An architect by trade, Bitonti has found that making a skin for the body is not so different from designing a building facade. He has made the observation that designing in 3D has more in common with animation than the tradition of fashion design, as he works with video, pixels and polygons, rather than fabric, pins and needles, making the process closer to creating a Hollywood film. Bitonti believes that “possibilities are now limited only by the designer’s imagination, rather than material constraints”. The studio, founded in 2012, believes that technology and design dictate the direction of culture and human capabilities.
Technology meets craftsmanship
Fashion label threeASFOUR is a trio of transnational artists based in New York, with roots in this region through founder Gabi Asfour. The three partners span continents and cultures, with Asfour hailing from Lebanon, Angela Donhauser from Russia and Adi Gil from Israel. The studio uses fashion and often 3D printing, as its medium of exploration and expression, fusing cutting-edge technology with traditional craftsmanship.
The recipient of the 2015 Cooper-Hewitt/Smithsonian Museum's National Design Award, the collective creates clothing at the intersection of fashion and art. Their work was featured in the MoMA Manus x Machina exhibition alongside Iris Van Herpen, as well as shown in Dubai at a Meet d3 event in 2015. Obsessed with sacred numerology, much of their work expresses elements of biomimicry, as well as the Fibonacci sequence, such as the Harmonograph dress from autum 2016. The design forms a perfect spiral on the body through an intricate and undulating structure, all 3D printed.
While Bill Gates once dreamt of a PC in every home, now it’s possible to imagine a 3D printer in every home, where downloading and printing the latest fashion and accessories is second nature.
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
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Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Results
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah – Group 2 (PA) $36,000 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: RB Money To Burn, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Turf) 2,410m, Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Meydan Trophy – Conditions (TB) $50,000 (T) 1,900m, Winner: Secret Protector, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 - Group 2 (TB) $293,000 (D) 1,900m, Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.50pm: Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Zakouski, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (T) 1,000m, Winner: Motafaawit, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
On the menu
First course
▶ Emirati sea bass tartare Yuzu and labneh mayo, avocado, green herbs, fermented tomato water
▶ The Tale of the Oyster Oyster tartare, Bahraini gum berry pickle
Second course
▶ Local mackerel Sourdough crouton, baharat oil, red radish, zaatar mayo
▶ One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Quail, smoked freekeh, cinnamon cocoa
Third course
▶ Bahraini bouillabaisse Venus clams, local prawns, fishfarm seabream, farro
▶ Lamb 2 ways Braised lamb, crispy lamb chop, bulgur, physalis
Dessert
▶ Lumi Black lemon ice cream, pistachio, pomegranate
▶ Black chocolate bar Dark chocolate, dates, caramel, camel milk ice cream
Off-roading in the UAE: How to checklist
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