Fashion designer Susan Fang has collaborated with Apple on a charming collection of 3D-printed accessories designed for the brand’s latest devices, offering a softer, more organic counterpoint to the tech giant’s sleek hardware, WWD reports. The project spans iPhone and iPad covers, Apple Watch bands, AirPod enclosures and more, with each items in a partnership produced using next-gen 3D modeling and printing techniques.
For this initiative, Fang partnered with Orelio De Jonghe, a former Dyson engineer and her collaborator in both work and life. Together, they explored how 3D software and Apple’s hardware could be combined to create what Fang calls “future craft.”
“We started with the question of how we can make 3D-printed accessories feel alive, with a sense of craftsmanship,” Fang said to WWD. “This still requires full manual control over different programs, and can’t be done with AI, which is still imprecise and very random.”
The line of accessories features pastel hues and nature-inspired motifs such as flowers, mushrooms and lucky clovers. Prices range from 561 renminbi (about $79) for an iPhone cover to 7,925 renminbi (roughly $1,120) for a Mac Mini shell, and the pieces are available on Fang’s Xiaohongshu platform.
De Jonghe’s engineering background also made it possible for the team to experiment more with Apple’s latest software and chips. “We discovered just how powerful Apple’s M-chips are,” Fang explained. “A normal laptop would crash, but a MacBook could run extremely complex effects, the kind normally used in animated feature films.”
That computing power enabled Fang to simulate natural motions, like plants moving in the wind, and translate them into physical objects and garments. At a recent exhibition in a historic Shanghai lane house, Fang presented 3D-printed garments alongside textile dresses created using Clo3D, showing how digital simulations can become tangible fashion pieces. According to Fang, the main idea is to give technology warmth, dreaminess and a sense of harmony with nature.
