TYPE-V Nature Architects project

The “TYPE-V Nature Architects project” explores new potentials for a piece of cloth by combining A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE’s manufacturing system with Nature Architects’ new design solutions.

During Milan Design Week in 2023, A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE and Nature Architects unveiled new prototypes that transform a piece of cloth into a three-dimensional form when heat is applied. This project has successfully moved into production, introducing a new item born from this innovative clothing creation process.

The design framework is based on new algorithms derived from the Direct Functional Modeling™ (DFM)* technology and metamaterials* developed by Nature Architects, combined with A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE’s “Steam Stretch” technology, which causes fabric to shrink when exposed to heat. By calculating the necessary shrinkage patterns to achieve the desired three-dimensional form, DFM automates and optimizes the design process for Steam Stretch, enabling the automatic generation of complex pleated patterns.

The “TYPE-V Nature Architects project” represents a completely new process for clothes-making. Compared to conventional clothes-making, in which different parts are cut and sewn together, the integration of metamaterials to the A-POC system enables the creation of a wider range of complex pleating techniques that were previously unattainable. The blouson developed from this project requires minimal sewing, instead the fabric instantly transforms into a three-dimensional form when high-temperature steam is applied.

*Direct Functional Modeling™ (DFM) is the name given to a collection of design algorithms that “determine the shape of the product by calculating back from the functions desired by the user.” It relies on two processes: 1) algorithms that automatically generate meta-material unit structures, and 2) algorithms that allocate the derived metamaterial unit structures to the external form. This results in the ability to “calculate back from function to form,” something that is virtually impossible in conventional product development.

*Metamaterials are designed materials that have properties other than those found in nature. The word is the combination of “meta” and “material” meaning “beyond matter.”

From Nature Architects
Working with A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE, together we have developed a fabric that can transform itself into a three-dimensional form solely by the application of heat.
This fabric due to its properties lends itself to a blouson design that requires minimal sewing. The Steam Stretch by A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE is a technology that creates stretch fabrics with yarn that reacts to heat and contracts. Studying the properties of this transforming fabric, we calculated the rate and structures of the contraction and developed an algorithm that automatically generates weave patterns.
This way, we can create original garments that transform themselves from fabrics by applying heat to them, like something brought back from the future. This project showed us a lot of potential that allows us to further explore this technology of three-dimensional transformation by heat, which goes beyond the conventions of clothes-making.

Nature Architects, Inc.
Nature Architects Inc. leverages its unique “design platform for discovering new forms,” based on expertise in metamaterials and origami engineering, to create new value through lightweight and safe vehicle design, the development of components that reduce vibration and noise, and the creation of shapes that enhance heat exchange efficiency.