The path of innovation in human experience has never been one of stability or stillness— we move forward, onward, upward.  Having a fearful or immoveable vision of what an object or process will be is maladaptive.  By utilizing error as a basis for forward motion, we have the ability to create large-scale change in the Fashion industry, creating a new path in iteration and production. Error location is our most relevant opportunity for sustaining humanity in digital Fashion Design. This thesis aims to affect the currently accepted critical theory about how we approach Design process, and enhance our current approach to Fashion and Textile innovation.  

Research for this thesis includes design elements made possible by digital fabrication processes, yet specifically requiring handworked elements. Using couture knitting as a model prompt, This work includes the first 3D print knit dress made of 3D printed, garment-capable digitally fabricated yarn. Other explorations include yarnless 4D Laserknit fabrics, kinetic chain and floating joint 3D printed textiles, alternative knit stitch creation, and Volumetric Knit fabrication. These inventions stem from observation of deliberately incited machine error, and how we transform error in digital fabrication towards the highest end use. We need to both incite and embrace error in order to create evolution in traditional systems.