We had the good fortune of connecting with Julia Daviy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Julia, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind my achievements and the success of my brand is my drive, determination, and love for knowledge. My purpose, my “why,” is the driving force that helps to find the energy to move forward, dream about impossible things, and implement them step after step. Success does not come overnight; you need to obtain the best skills and knowledge in what you do and be persistent.

Many years ago, I realized that the sizeable polluting fashion industry would not be able to transform into the sector with zero negative impact on people, animals, and the planet using the existing manufacturing methods, business, and behavioral models. Unfortunately, planet Earth does not have enough resources to switch to organic cotton production. I focused on computational design and 3D printing/additive manufacturing for the fashion industry—an entirely new approach, like electric vehicles ten years ago. Until that time, when I saw the opportunity for these technologies to make the processes in the fashion industry sustainable, a lot of perceptual, technical, and economic problems did not have solutions. It took colossal determination to continue the experiments to develop collections in these circumstances. But as a result, we broke a Guinness World Record in technology, became a gold winner of the Edison Awards in 2020 along with other awards, and, most importantly, can move forward in creating desirable products using an eco-friendly approach and the most advanced technologies.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When I started to work in the USA, I decided to pursue my old dream—not just to do business in cleantech but also to live an eco-friendly lifestyle. The most challenging task was to find truly sustainable clothes and accessories. That all started as a hobby. I launched a brand of organic activewear but realized that organic fabric is just a tiny part of the solution. The fashion industry needs a more advanced technological solution to be able to radically minimize its impact.

I investigated different technologies, and additive manufacturing (or so-called 3D printing) caught my attention. I dove into research. I could not find the specialists; as the industry was new and very fast developing, I decided to learn software, hardware, 3D printing, computational design, and many other things. Different 3D printers flooded my apartment, and soon, my partner and I decided to rent a separate space to open our studio and laboratory to continue the experiments and project development.

During New York Fashion Week in 2018, I presented the first collection of wearable clothes created entirely by large-format FDM and SLA 3D printers. To work with extra-soft materials and implement my concept of zero-waste and minimal labor-intensive clothing production, we took one of the largest 3D printers on the market and reengineered it. In 2019, as we continued to develop our ideas, we 3D-printed different types of clothes—from jackets and t-shirts to shorts and skirts. Our project for the organic skirt, the first zero-waste entirely digitally-customizable 3D-printable skirt earned gold at the Edison Awards.
We also achieved results in 4D clothes printing and multi-color 3D printing with flexible materials. Some of these works were presented as a part of the Boston Center for the Arts Feminist Futurist Exhibition. During NYFW in February of 2020, I presented the first carbon-neutral handbag collection. All these bags are digitally designed and 3D-printed using advanced types of additive manufacturing. Thanks to these tools, we were able to create the bags with what I call “zero supply chain” and radically less (92–99%) carbon emissions, water and waste compared to the conventional bag manufacturing. We plant two trees for each handbag purchase to fully offset our minimal carbon emissions.

I love our Guinness World Record project to 3D print the largest flag and the first-ever 3D-printed flag that is so flexible that it can weave in the wind. We broke the world record this spring and devoted it to all the Americans who fight with COVID-19, which forced us to quickly implement some ideas. Our bags are also available in digital format. You may get any design and instruction and 3D-print the handbag by yourself or by using the services of a 3D printing studio.

Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
We like to take a bike ride to Key Biscayne, Crendon Park, and its Peacock Shelter, and we’ve explored Virginia Key park and beach and Biscayne National Park. I also recommend staying in Brickell and enjoying the downtown area. My favorites here are the street cafes next to W Hotel, where you can buy tasty street food and enjoy your walk along the bay and coast. Take a short but spectacular walk around the Brickell Key, which is just minutes away from here. Also, I love the bridge connecting Brickell and the downtown area. I recommend the walk along the Miami River.

I would devote one more day to the Frost Science Museum if you visit Miami with kids; also I recommend a visit to the Perez Art Museum. The Maurice A. Ferré Park next to both museums is a new spot to visit in Miami and a beautiful place to meet the dolphins living in the Biscayne Bay. It’s best if you visit the unique Miami Design District and, after that, Plant Miami restaurant to try the best of plant-based cuisine. I recommend their handcrafted cashew truffle and cheddar cheese and almond, beet, and mushroom burgers; ask for their dessert menu and order the passionfruit flan. Tour downtown Miami on a bike through the Venetian Way to Miami Beach, and from there—along the ocean shore of Miami Beach. Another place worth a visit near Miami is Shark Valley Trails in the heart of Everglades National Park, especially if you want to take a picture with alligators or learn and get inspired by the untouched nature of South Florida.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Absolutely! My partner Vitaliy Daviy—entrepreneur, investor, and a personality with a vision beyond his time. Besides being an internationally recognized expert in the field of renewable energy and new energy tech, he has deep knowledge in space engineering; he loves drone piloting and AI. Among books, I would definitely name Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harrari, Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel and My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla.

Website: juliadaviy.com
Instagram: http://instagram.com/juliadaviy
Linkedin: Julia Daviy
Twitter: Julia Daviy
Facebook: JuliaDaviyLab
Youtube: Julia Daviy

Image Credits
Vita Zamchevska Tina Sokolovskaya Photos made by (and at) FASHINNOVATION, NYFW 2020 FLYING SOLO, BIG IDEAS (In 3D Printing Conference).