Scale7, the first fashion and design business incubator in Qatar- founded by Qatar Development Bank (QDB) in partnership with M7, hosted yet another successful series of Digital Fabrication Intensive Courses under “The Labs program”, with an aim to empower entrepreneurs in the fashion and design ecosystem with the new age technology tools. These programs are in continuation to the previously hosted programs – ‘Cutting Edge’ and ‘Materialize Bits’, which were held in June and July respectively.
The first course in the series, that took place between October 31 and November 2, witnessed the participation of eight promising entrepreneurs. The program focused on laser cut techniques for fashion and design entrepreneurs. Lasers are gaining tremendous popularity among fashion designers, be it engraving velvet or making fancy shape cuts, especially since the technology easily handles any design, thanks to faster processing speeds for individual designs even if they are within a series of different products.
The first course enabled the participating male and female entrepreneurs to learn about digital fabrication processes if they intend to create design outputs within small batches, or producing on demands products and limited-edition series as well as knowing the extent to which their product is suitable for the market before investing in mass production. The program was mentored by Zoe Romano, a digital strategist and lecturer focused on social innovation, women in tech, digital fabrication technologies and open design.
The second course in the series, a 3-day intensive course on 3D printing, was hosted between November 15 and 17. The program, during which ten female and male entrepreneurs from different work fields, participated and explored many facets of 3D printing in their areas of work, was focused on design & prototyping products & accessories using a computer and a 3D printer which is considered the most innovative method to embrace lean business models. 3D printing in fashion is used to create accessories, build diverse prototypes and manufacturing tools, which ultimately boosts sustainability efforts, and expands the possibility of quality design.
Prototyping different design iterations in this way allows designers more time and freedom to come up with new innovative designs. Besides, 3D printing is proving itself to be a boon for jewellery makers. The technology has revolutionized the way precious metals and gemstones are carved into exquisite jewellery. Industry leaders around the globe have recognized the potential of 3D printing and adopted it as an integral, business-critical part of jewellery manufacturing process.
The program was mentored by the distinguished designer Emilio Antinori who deals with the design of small series products and special installations, digital manufacturing, corporate identity and museum visual design.
Commenting on the success of the two workshops Ms. Aysha Khalifa Al Romaihi, Project Manager of Scale7, said, “We are pleased to successfully conduct an array of technical courses for fashion & design startups in Qatar to help them get introduced to new age technical tools in the design space. “We are confident that these workshops will help entrepreneurs and promising startups to move forward on their growth path in the right direction”.