In the fashion industry, additive manufacturing is becoming increasingly popular. No matter if shoes, handbags, or dresses – the technology can be used to design all kinds of accessories. As summer approaches, the Montserrat company has partnered with design studio King Children to unveil a new pair of sunglasses. What’s special about these sunglasses? They were designed using additive manufacturing! This isn’t the first time a company has turned to 3D printing technologies to make eyewear. At about the same time last year, Adidas also unveiled a pair of glasses with 3D printed frames.

The 3D printed glasses. (photo credits: Montserrat)

Leslie Muller, Head of Design at King Children, reflected on the development of the sunglasses, commenting “We love working with MONTSERRAT New York. For this collection we wanted to create sunglasses that capture their DNA of effortless luxury while taking advantage of King Children’s technology in new ways. Through partnering with forward looking brands like MONTSERRAT New York and powering their eyewear offerings we are able to meaningfully move the eyewear industry towards a zero-waste future.”

The development of the Sunglasses

By opting for additive manufacturing, the two companies behind the project made sure to limit the environmental impact. In particular, Montserrat claims to have produced very little waste during the production process. In order to create the glasses, Montserrat and King Children relied on Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), a process popular for its lightweight yet strong parts . Thanks to the technology, the teams confide that they have benefited from total freedom of design and have managed to personalize the glasses. While the two companies do not specify which 3D printers were used to make the products, they do explain that they used a polyamide powder, they do not specify which but PA-11 and PA-12 are often used with SLS. For those who would like to buy the glasses, Montserrat has already announced that they will be available in two versions, each in 3 different colors.

Gayle Yelon, the co-founder of Montserrat, concludes, “This collaboration brings together two brands who turn to technology to reimagine the ways we create product to better our planet. Both of our teams worked together to fuse the architectural notes often seen in our jewelry and the effortlessness felt wearing our clothing into sunglass styles that fit perfectly into the brand and were developed without creating material waste.” To find out more about the project, visit Montserrat’s website HERE.

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