What 3-D Printing Means for the Fashion and Retail Industries

Consider Duann Scott, the designer evangelist at New York City-based Shapeways, a 3-D printing marketplace and community, who discussed how his company enables users to upload 3-D designs and then sell them online. Customers can choose from a plastic, ceramic or metal material, and they also have the ability to customize or personalize the products. Shapeways then prints the object in one of its factories in Long Island City, N.Y., or Eindhoven, Netherlands, and mails it to the customer. Shapeways tells designers how much it will cost to make their products, and then they can mark them up as much as they want. Merchandise available on Shapeways’ site includes bags, belts, wallets, gadgets, games, jewelry, among other items.