For those in the know, the Vancouver Art Gallery Gift Shop is a jewel among one of the finest collections of art in the world. For those passionate about handbags, Fashion Fictions’ Julia Koerner‘s HY Mini by JK3D clutches are a perfect combination of art and fashion.
FUNCTIONAL ART
The HY MINI is entirely 3D-printed, including its hinge, closure clasp and interior pocket. It features an iconic design inspired by natural hymenium lamella structures. It can only be created using additive manufacturing, producing a handbag of 2.396 layers made locally from renewable plant-based polymers. The lamellar structure creates intricate voids which enable you to peek inside.
AN ARTIST DEFINED
Julia is an award-winning Austrian designer working at the convergence of architecture, product and fashion design. She is internationally recognized for design innovation in 3D-printing, and her work stands out at the top of these disciplines. The constantly intriguing aspect of Julia’s work is its embodiment of a beautiful organic aesthetic.
Born in Salzburg, Julia received master’s degrees in Architecture from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and the Architectural Association in London. She is based between Los Angeles and Salzburg and has previously practiced in London and New York. Since 2012, Julia has been a faculty member in the Architecture and Urban Design Department at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA).
Her collaborations involved 3D-printed fashion pieces developed with Haute Couture Houses for Paris Fashion Week and 3D-printed costumes for Hollywood entertainment productions such as Marvel’s Black Panther, collaborating with Ruth Carter, which won an Oscar for Best Costume Design. She further recently collaborated with Swarovski on a showpiece which displays Swarovski’s continued strive for innovation and the early developments of 3D-printing technology with glass. Julia’s designs have been featured in the National Geographic Magazine, VICE, WIRED and the New York Times, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (MET), the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, and the Museum of Applied Arts MAK Vienna, among others.
Author Profile

- Helen Siwak is the founder of EcoLuxLuv Marketing & Communications Inc and publisher of Folio.YVR Luxury Lifestyle Magazine and PORTFOLIOY.YVR Business & Entrepreneurs Magazine. She is a prolific content creator, consultant, and marketing and media strategist within the ecoluxury lifestyle niche. Helen is the west coast correspondent to Canada’s top-read industry magazine Retail-Insider, holds a vast freelance portfolio, and consults with many of the world’s luxury heritage brands. Always seeking new opportunities and challenges, you can email her at helen@ecoluxluv.com.
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