The High Low interviews Tim Gunn on Why the Future is 3D Printed AND HanDmade
In the first installation of our THL Talks, in which we discuss niche areas of fashion’s arc with industry influencers, Tim Gunn talks about technology’s growing reach into fashion. As it turns out, Project Runway‘s main man is a fan of wearable tech (even if the TSA lost his preferred gadget), just as long as it’s not on your face.
of it. Think about weaving or sewing machines, for instance. The sewing machine was invented in the 19th century and it’s still relevant. It’s not like technology goes away; we just keep accumulating things. We keep putting more arrows in our quiver, so to speak. It’s really very interesting. I’ll tell you, too, that as the chair of fashion at Parsons, we were looked down upon by other departments because we [in fashion] can’t execute what we do in a virtual environment and have it be relevant to the customer. We get our hands dirty. Architects, for instance, can do everything on a computer, now. When I was an architecture student for a year during the 70s, you could work for 12 hours on a drawing, and had to drop indigo ink into a stylus. If it bled, you had to start all over. So in some ways, thank god for computer! That said, in fashion, technology enhances what the designer does, but doesn’t take away what’s already there. THL: Is there any single tech-related fashion item you’ve seen so far that you think is great? TG: For me, the test of new technology’s greatness is our not being aware of it.
When it’s in our faces, I’m not a fan. I want it to be so much a part of the overall DNA of an item of apparel or an accessory, that it seduces us subtly and then we realize it’s there, as opposed to it being a blunt instrument. I think that’s what the consumer wants, too, unless they happen to be a techno geek. THL: To that end, is there any fashion tech item that you personally use? TG: I use a Nike FuelBand. Because I’m a New Yorker, I walk all the time, and Dr. Oz’s words are always in my ears. What is it, 5,000 steps a day, or 10,000? But 10,000 takes forever. Anyway, the FuelBand’s not obtrusive and it’s very informative. You plug it in and find out all about yourself — it makes me aware of what I do during the day — your steps, food intake, liquids. I have a much more acute awareness of my behavior, which is a good thing, as opposed to being oblivious to how we navigate the world. And you know, the TSA had me remove it, recently, and when I came out on the other side of security, they lost it. The bowl it was in never came through.
Gunn, the former chair of fashion design at Parsons The New School For Design, holds particular views on the evolving role of tech in fashion, from Nina Garcia wearing Google Glass to 3D printing (bonus — one of Project Runway’s next finalists is using it!), to what young designers, all technology aside, should always be able to do by hand. The High Low: Tell us about your take on technology’s increasing application in the fashion industry, and in what we wear. Are you generally for it, or for any particular applications of it? Tim Gunn: I’m constantly wowed by its potential. What’s so interesting about the relationship of design to technology is when you think about how technology has grown and evolved, fashion doesn’t get rid