Bloomfield wins 3D Hats Off

Mark Bloomfield, a trained jewellery designer, was crowned the winner of the ‘Hats Off to 3D Printing’ design contest, beating off competition from 20 renowned and emerging designers. His design was showcased at a fashion show, which took place during the Materialise World Conference, an event that brings together leaders and innovators from a variety of fields to talk about the present and future of the Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing).

A jury, headed by milliner Elvis Pompilio and Wilfried Vancraen, CEO of Materialise, evaluated the designs in terms of craftsmanship, creativity, and technical ingenuity, and Bloomfield landed the first prize after impressing with his ingenious ‘daisy’ hat. His flower-inspired design caught their attention due to the 3D printed flower showing both the daisy in a closed position, which unfolded, petal by petal, as the model walked down the runway to reveal the flowers true form.

Bloomfield who has his own shop where 3D printing technology is used to manufacture customised accessories, gifts and interior products, has worked with fashion labels including Vivienne Westwood and Paul Smith, as well as on films such as Titanic.