Years ago I visited the new headquarters of an important design school. During my time there I was shown a sophisticated 3D printer. It was standing still, but the person in charge had bought it as a technical support for the accessories design course. I admit, I left that visit with a mix of both admiration and a little bit of envy.
I wondered why Arsutoria school, which has always been a reference point for other design schools in Milan for technical courses on footwear and bag modelling, had not yet included 3D printing in its courses. Why were we not talking about 3D printing, 3D modelling of footwear, bags, accessories, soles?
3D is a technology that for years has been widely used in the fashion accessories sector for rapid prototyping of components (soles, hardware). It gives the possibility to check the aesthetic of the component once assembled with the product for which it was designed.
Shoe and Bag Diplomas become richer and more complete with 3D printing
Today I am thrilled to announce that Arsutoria is also 3D printing.
Why are we just getting to that now?
I think the main reason is that we were waiting to be ready, both making sure our teachers were able to use it and figuring out how to include the topic into the school’s program in a coherent way.
The 1-Year Diplomas (Shoe and Bag) launched in 2022 are the perfect context to include 3D printing in a path that mixes technique and design with the aim of getting students to make shoe and bag samples on their own during the school’s workshops.
3D printing will be first included in the 4-week shoe 3D design and 4-week bag 3D design courses, during which our students learn the 3D modelling softwares: ICad3D+ for shoes, CLO 3D for bags and Rhinoceros for more technical components such as soles, heels, metal accessories and components that are milled, turned or printed in production.
We also thought to include it in the final 8 weeks of the 1-Year Diplomas (Shoe and Bag), the so called ‘proto weeks’. During this period, the students of the 1-Year Diplomas make samples of the shoes and/or bags that they have conceived and designed during the 5-week design shoe collection and/or design bag collection courses.
After learning how to model in 3D and under the supervision of the teachers – who are technical experts in the sector – the students will be able to create their first prototype, that they can get manufactured by the partner companies.
Matteo Pasca
Director of Arsutoria School