Uniting Against the War: How the 3D-Printed Design Community is Helping

The unfolding war in Ukraine has shaken the world, especially considering it follows a devastating pandemic, the growing unpredictability of costs of living and gas prices, and 

But if there’s one silver lining to Russian aggression, it’s that there’s been an outpouring of support from diverse groups. The 3D printed design and fashion community has been no exception.

IMAGENERIA, a startup focused on 3D printable items for fashion and homeware, has contributed by launching its own Uniting for Peace campaign. Let’s take a closer look at what this initiative involves and how it’s helping anti-war efforts.

Introducing Uniting for Peace

IMAGENERIA is a platform that focuses on digital delivery: A way to produce and deliver physical consumer products using digital design and digital 3D printing manufacturing. At first glance, it might seem like there’s little way this can help the situation currently unfolding in Europe. It’s growing fast among brands who want to sell their items online, but what does it have to do with Ukraine?

Basically, IMAGENERIA is planning to capitalize on the current buzz around digital delivery and design to raise funds that will help those suffering as a result of the conflict. The Uniting For Peace campaign sells a range of products in 3D printable form and directs the funds raised to support people and animals in Ukraine.

So far, the products on offer include jewelry, fashion, and homeware items. All products are available in the form of phygital assets including digital designs for AR usage and ready real-world use fashion products.

It’s a great way for fans of the pioneering field to show their support for the cause, or even for Ukraine supporters to be able to help in a new way.

How digital delivery works

To understand exactly what this range is and how it works, we need to take a closer look at exactly what digital delivery works and the problems it’s solving. Effectively, it means that products are created and sold in digital form, and they can be turned into their physical version at a later point (with the help of a 3D printer).

For instance, the Italian designer Alberto Ghirardello created a Stand For Peace bracelet for The Uniting For Peace Campaign by IMAGENERIA using digital delivery. This meant he could make his product available across the world without sending bracelets overseas or investing significant sums of money into production. Instead, he simply created a 3D-printable design that was tested to meet the requirements of manufacturability — creating a ready-made file he uploaded to IMAGENERIA’s cloud storage, where it’s now available for customers from Los Angeles to Sydney (and everywhere in between). 

Benefits of digital delivery

But the benefits aren’t just on the end of the manufacturer. If the customer chooses (let’s say) a silver gold-plated Stand For Peace Bracelet, it will be produced locally to them — meaning a reduction in carbon emissions significantly and a more secure supply chain. 

Thanks to the way Covid pandemic disrupted many supply chains, delivering certain products from China to the U.S. can now take months instead of days. Add the unfolding war and problematic geopolitical situation to the mix, and we have an extremely unreliable and volatile situation.

In this environment, the digital manufacturing and distribution of final-quality products is a salvation. That’s why the CEO of IMAGENERIA Julia Daviy believes: Every brand needs to have at least part of their products 3D-printable. That’s not the future anymore. That’s a present time response to the challenges and a must to become truly sustainable.”

Building a better future

Digitization designed for 3D printing is a solution that enables products with real-world uses to be stored digitally on the cloud, meaning they can be produced and distributed across the world at a few clicks of a button. IMAGENERIA is such a solution, and we want to use this power to give back to those suffering at the hands of the conflict in Ukraine.

To browse the products available as part of the Uniting Against The War Campaign, head to the IMAGNERIA website.