Matthew Trahan has turned his workshop into a testing ground for unusual ideas. Past projects included full-size musical instruments, bedroom furniture, and even a life-size copy of himself. Each build pushed what desktop machines could handle. His newest effort went further still. He set out to create every single piece of clothing he would wear, starting from rolls of plastic filament and ending with something he could actually put on.
At first, the notion appeared to be as simple as checking off a list: make a shirt, shorts, shoes, socks, hat, belt, wallet, bow tie, glasses, watch, and bag without ever going to a store or cutting any fabric. Most of the files for the pieces were available online from public model sites, but before the printer began laying down the first layer, the owner spent 33 hours fine-tuning the drawings on his computer to meet his measurements. The actual job began with printing, which took weeks. His trusty Prusa Core 1L handled the larger portions, such as the shorts. Smaller printers took care of the rest. The overall print time came to 560 hours, which included a lot of waiting about. The project used more than 8,000 grams of filament. That’s about 8 kg, and the filament used was as different as the products themselves. Flexible TPU was employed for shoes, socks, and hats because, well, you need material that bends and cushions in a foot-related application. Stiffer PLA and PETG were utilized for the outfit’s more structural components, such as the shirt and shorts. As for the cost, it came out to a nice figure of $25 to $30, but don’t forget to factor in the cost of the printers themselves, which was not included.
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The shirt was the true highlight of the outfit, with interlocking hexagonal shapes giving it a distinct look and feel. Small gaps and flexible connectors allowed for some give, and magnets were utilized to hold the modular portions together. Finally, everything was put together! You get a stiff-looking garment that really retains its shape, giving it the appearance of costume armor rather than something you’d wear on a daily basis. The sleeves proved to be a bit of a problem, and the general fit was a little loose in some spots and tight in others.
The shorts, while a little big and boxy, had a Minecraft-likeness about them that made you look twice. Belt loops and suspender holes provided several alternatives for securing them, but let’s be honest: the wide cut and firm plastic made them difficult to wear in practice. Still, the extra room inside had one redeeming feature: storage space, and while they looked cool, they did require some suspenders to keep them up.
Shoes and socks, on the other hand, were completely unexpected, since the soft, spongy TPU utilized in the shoes resulted in a sort of barefoot shoe that worked out rather nicely. The socks, which were made of the same flexible material, felt bouncy to the touch instead of abrasive. Trahan tested the entire costume, laced everything up tight, and ran a mile in 8 minutes and 20 seconds. His feet did protest a little at the end, but credit to the shoes for holding up well and providing enough protection to complete the task.
Compared to the main outfit, the accessories were a breeze. The hat fit slightly larger than normal without requiring much tweaking. The belt, wallet, bow tie, and watch all performed their basic functions without difficulty. Glasses, on the other hand, looked great at first but quickly started to rub on the ears. Overall, these were the easier parts, as none of them required as much sacrifice as the major garments. When everything was put together, the overall look was unlike anything you’d find in a store, as the colors on the shirt stood out, the shorts dominated the lower half with their sheer size, the soft shoes and socks kept the feet happy for a while, and the upper body was a little restricted due to all the stiff sections.
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