3-D printers create new hype in fashion

A 3-D-printed ring created by Finnish designer Pekka Salokannel. Provided to China Daily

Once upon a time in the fashion world, a printed necktie merely meant one that had print on it. Now, it can mean a tie generated from powder, liquid, filaments or sheets of material using 3-D printers.

The blue chain mail tie that Pekka Salokannel wore to this year's China International Clothing and Accessories Fair was made this way. Behind him, in glass display cases, were earrings, fashion eyewear and eyeglass frames produced in a similar way.

"Are you selling these here?" several female visitors asked Salokannel, pointing to the white, black and red dangling earrings in geometric patterns.

The 32-year-old Finnish industrial designer hopes he can soon say "yes" to Chinese consumers. Salokannel began creating 3-D-printed glasses and jewelry, under his brand Colors of Birch, in 2010. He wanted to become part of a new design innovation: making three-dimensional, solid objects from digital models.

"You can create some really unique designs, because their complexity doesn't matter in 3-D printing," he says. "You don't have to think about how long someone has to carve an object, or how much you need to pay for the work ... It opens up possibilities for new kinds of designs."