--- title: "Five designers embracing 3D printing, from Iris van Herpen to Issey Miyake" url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/five-designers-embracing-3d-printing-iris-van-herpen-issey-miyake/ date: 2026-03-06 modified: 2026-03-06 lang: en author: "Tess Boissonneault" description: "As we kick off our Consumer AM focus month, we want to take a look at a growing phenomenon in the world of 3D printing: that of notable designers embracing..." categories: - "3D Printed Eyewear" - "Consumer Products" - "Design" - "Furniture" tags: - "top news" image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/issey-miyake-2-UROKO-640x426.jpg word_count: 1051 --- # Five designers embracing 3D printing, from Iris van Herpen to Issey Miyake As we kick off our [Consumer AM](https://www.voxelmatters.com/category/3d-printed-consumer-products/) focus month, we want to take a look at a growing phenomenon in the world of 3D printing: that of notable designers embracing the technology for the creation of innovative new products. Whether it's one-of-a-kind wearables, luxury eyewear, home goods, or made-to-order consumer products, we are seeing more and more designer products leverage the benefits of additive manufacturing. This shows that the technology is far more than just a novelty or gimmick: it is a key tool for enabling creativity in the consumer space. ## Iris van Herpen [![Iris van Herpen Sculpting the Senses](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IVH-sculptingthesenses.jpeg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IVH-sculptingthesenses.jpeg)"Sculpting the Senses" at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Iris van Herpen) A good place to start here is Iris van Herpen, the avant-garde Dutch designer that has created stunning garments worn by artists and celebs including Beyoncé, Björk, Cate Blanchett, Miley Cyrus, and Lady Gaga. Van Herpen's work has always integrated technology in some way, including fabrics shaped using laser cutting, screen printed textiles, magnetic materials, and more. A number of her design projects over the past decade or so have also integrated 3D printed elements. For instance, the Skeleton Dress from her 2011 *Capriole *series was the first 3D printed garment to be added to the MET's Costume Institute collection. Other 3D printed pieces include garments from her 2011 *Escapism *collection and custom face jewelry for her 2019 *Shift Souls* runway show. Van Herpen's innovation in the world of high fashion has not gone unrecognized. In fact, the designer is the star of an [upcoming exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum in New York](https://www.voxelmatters.com/iris-van-herpen-exhibit-brooklyn-museum-spring/), *Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses*, which will showcase over 140 of the designer's haute couture pieces. ## Boucheron [![Boucheron 3D printed sand jewelry](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/boucheron-2.jpeg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/boucheron-2.jpeg) Founded 168 years ago, Boucheron is a France-based luxury jewelry house that has been behind a number of innovations in the field. In the late 1800s, for instance, the company was the first to combine pearls and diamond rondelles—an instant classic. And last year it launched a new collection that uses 3D printed black sand and gold. This [collection, called *Quatre Sand,*](https://www.voxelmatters.com/french-jewelry-house-boucheron-debuts-collection-made-from-3d-printed-sand/) is a reinterpretation of Boucheron's *Quatre* line, which distinguishes itself for contrasting traditional jewelry materials, like precious metals and diamonds, with black. In *Quatre Sand*, the company has created a series of seven cuff bracelets and bangles that feature 3D printed black sand. According to Boucheron, these innovative pieces were made using a sand binder jetting process, which applies a polymer binder to fine layers of sand particles. The green parts are then processed to remove the binder, while still preserving the texture of the sand. These sand 3D prints were then fitted onto gold structures, showcasing the contrast between the brilliant, smooth gold, and the grainy, geometric sand. ## Gustaf Westman [![Gustaf Westman brings unique designs to life with 3D printing](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/westman-shelves-2.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/westman-shelves-2.jpg)(Photo: Gustaf Westman) Swedish contemporary designer Gustaf Westman has made a name for himself in recent years for his bold, bubbly aesthetic. With a background in architecture, the designer works primarily with glass and ceramics—even launching a tableware collection with IKEA—but he has also leveraged 3D printing to bring some of his pieces to life. For instance, Westman launched a [series of puzzle-fit shelves](https://www.voxelmatters.com/gustaf-westman-designs-3d-printing/) made from 3D printed plastic. The shelves, which bear the designer's distinct bubbly style, were reportedly made by a 3D printing company in London and were spray coated to achieve brilliant hues and a glossy, ceramic-like finish. The shelves are also notable for their modular structure, which enables people to stack them vertically or join them horizontally to create bespoke shelving structures. Available in a range of colors, the 3D printed shelves are manufactured on a made-to-order basis. ## Susan Fang [![Susan Fang designs 3D printed iPhone cases for Apple](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/susan-fang-apple-3.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/susan-fang-apple-3.jpg)(Image: Mars Wang | SUSAN FANG) Susan Fang is a prolific fashion designer that is known for merging "craft with technology" and developing special techniques like Air-Weave textiles, air-pleating, and 3D beading. In recent years, the designer has worked in collaboration with a number of brands, including Nike, Swarovski, and UGG. In one of her more recent partnerships—with Apple—the designer turned to 3D printing to create a series of [iPhone 17 cases](https://www.voxelmatters.com/susan-fang-designs-3d-printed-iphone-cases-apple/) that draw inspiration from florals and nature. The phone cases, which integrate 3D motifs based on peach blossoms, are 3D printed from flexible TPU and hand dyed at the designer's Atelier. They were unveiled not long ago at a special showcase in Shanghai, where the design process behind the 3D printed products was also presented. Consumers can buy the phone cases, which are manufactured on a made-to-order basis, for $138+. ## Issey Miyake [![Issey Miyake 3D printed UROKO glasses](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/issey-miyake-1-UROKO.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/issey-miyake-1-UROKO.jpg)(Photo: Issey Miyake) While renowned Japanese designer Issey Miyake sadly passed away in 2022, his design house has continued on in his tradition of using technology as a key element in design. The latest example of this comes from Issey Miyake Eyes, the design house's eyewear brand, which just released [a pair of 3D printed sunglasses](https://www.voxelmatters.com/issey-miyake-3d-prints-multi-lens-ceramics-inspired-glasses/). The frames, called UROKO, are conceptual and avant-garde, looking almost like they are made for an eight-eyed alien. Part of the brand's Spring Summer 2026 collection, the sunglasses feature 3D printed frames that have undergone a unique finishing process that enhances surface variations, resulting in a surface finish evocative of the works of famed Japanese ceramicist Kamoda. This also means that no two pairs of the sunglasses are exactly the same. The frames have then been fitted with eight lenses, each with a unique concave structure that has enabled the lenses to sit close to each other within the frame. Notably, the avant-garde eyewear isn't the first time that Issey Miyake Eyes' designers have dabbled in 3D printing: the brand previously launched GRIT, a more conventional eyewear design 3D printed from PA11. ## AM in design It should go without saying that this is a very inexhaustive list: many well established design houses and brands, such as [Louis Vuitton](https://www.voxelmatters.com/louis-vuitton-unveils-lv-cobra-3d-printed-sneaker-with-zellerfeld/) and [Hugo Boss](https://www.voxelmatters.com/hugo-boss-latest-shoe-is-a-3d-printed-loafer/), are exploring 3D printing for footwear products, while other designers like [Anouk Wipprecht](https://www.voxelmatters.directory/company/anouk-wipprecht/), [Danit Peleg](https://www.voxelmatters.directory/company/danit-peleg/), and [Julia Koerner](https://www.voxelmatters.directory/company/jk3d/) are expressly working at the intersection of 3D printing and fashion and helping to pave the way for designers and brands in more traditional spaces to embrace 3D printing. In this piece, we really wanted to emphasize that the latter is happening. That established and up-and-coming designers not specifically known for 3D printing are increasingly using the technology to break design boundaries and explore new modes of making.