The shoe of the summer season is undoubtedly the flip-flop. Simple on, simple off, your ft gained’t get sweaty as a result of there’s not a lot materials, and so they’re out there in a veritable rainbow of colours. And, as with most forms of sneakers as of late, you possibly can use 3D printing to make flip-flops and different sandals. On the upcoming Copenhagen Vogue Week in August, Brazilian flip-flop model Havaianas will debut its first 3D printed flip-flops, made in collaboration with Zellerfeld, a particular chief in 3D printed footwear.
Impressed by the normal Japanese Zori sandal, Havaianas was based in 1962. The model swapped out the material straps and woven rice straw soles for rubber, and in 1966, mother or father firm Alpargatas registered the patent of its “world well-known rubber thong.” In 1980, the Brazilian authorities included Havaianas flip-flops on an inventory of on a regular basis elementary merchandise to assist management inflation, and the sandals made their excessive vogue debut in a 1999 Jean Paul Gaultier runway present.
Ladies’s Slim Sq. Stylish Flip Flops by Havaianas. These will not be 3D printed.
“Bringing revolutionary applied sciences into the originality of our design has been important to strengthening our timeless aesthetic,” mentioned Ieda Pavani, world design director for Havaianas. “It’s a method to honor our essence whereas connecting with new audiences who recognize authenticity, innovation, and worth.”
Zellerfeld has labored with its share of icons and well-known names, like Kanye West (Ye, Yeezy, Yeezle, no matter he’s calling himself at this time), Moncler, and Chris Brown. The corporate has a proprietary, full-stack 3D printing course of that allows sneakers to be printed in a single piece out of zellerFOAM, a specifically developed foaming TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane). Zellerfeld’s sneakers are mentioned to be 100% recyclable, breathable, and washable, in addition to odor resistant. They characteristic a dense grid construction, which affords most consolation and softness—options that Havaianas additionally guarantees.
Cornelius Schmitt, CEO and co-founder of Zellerfeld, mentioned, “I’m thrilled that Zellerfeld is collaborating with the world’s most iconic flip-flop model to carry flip-flops into the period of 3D printing.”
The Havaianas innovation crew collaborated with Zellerfeld each step of the way in which in the course of the design course of. Collectively, they got here up with a brand new silhouette for the Brazilian model’s well-known sandals, however with out sacrificing what makes Havaianas flip-flops particular. The Havaianas x Zellerfeld encompasses a new sculpted toe cap, however stored the footbed’s recognizable rice grain texture, and reinterpreted the strap—nonetheless in the identical place—with a extra rounded form.
“Along with Havaianas, we’ve labored laborious to develop this design have created a brand new split-toe silhouette that can lay the muse for future printed flip-flops, opening up new potentialities,” Schmitt mentioned. “This isn’t only a collaboration, however one other necessary step in the direction of a future the place all footwear will probably be printed. Who wouldn’t need custom-made flip-flops?”
A sketch of the Havaianas 3D printed flip-flops
Zellerfeld, based mostly in San Francisco and Hamburg, is backed by some huge buyers, like SpaceX and Tesla. The corporate created a brand new infrastructure for manufacturing sneakers, changing extra conventional provide chains with platform-driven commerce and real-time, custom-made manufacturing. With its automated, on-demand, and waste-free manufacturing, Zellerfeld’s platform has the potential to switch conventional instruments and factories. This might be an enormous enterprise alternative, because the world footwear market is predicted to achieve $500.55 billion in income this yr. What’s extra, non-luxury sneakers are mentioned to contribute to 92% of those gross sales, and nothing might be farther from a luxurious shoe than flip-flops…besides possibly Crocs.
When it comes to the 3D printed footwear market, 5 years in the past Additive Manufacturing Analysis (previously SmarTech Evaluation) estimated that it could attain $4.2 billion in revenues by this yr. I don’t know the way a lot of that’s represented by 3D printed flip-flops; you’d suppose it could be a major quantity. In 2023, Government Editor Joris Peels mentioned that 3D printing the entire shoe was problematic and dear, however that 3D printing sandals and flip-flops was “a wonderfully viable 3D printed footwear product for the lots,” as a result of just one materials and little or no labor could be wanted. Plus, as a result of it’s such a low construction, a flip-flop is a reasonably cost-effective print.
However, as Peels additionally famous, there haven’t been many profitable manufacturers constructed round 3D printed flip-flops. In reality, FitMyFoot, beforehand referred to as Wiivv Wearables, was as soon as a significant proponent of {custom} 3D printed flip-flops. However this winter, the corporate determined to drop its sandals, and since then has been working a “Sandal Ship-Off Sale” and promoting its flip-flops for 50% off, noting that “as soon as they’re gone, they’re gone for good.”
“A lot of the 3D printed efforts had been merely not promoted properly sufficient and didn’t attain a large viewers. Others regarded horrible or had been poorly made. Typically nobody has appeared to make an excellent model, a good suggestion and an excellent design come to life within the minds of many. This can be a easy enterprise alternative however getting it proper gained’t be simple,” Peels wrote.
Perhaps Havaianas and Zellerfeld would be the ones to get it proper. Beginning in September, the brand new 3D printed Havaianas x Zellerfeld will probably be out there in 5 colours, for buy solely on the Zellerfeld web site.
Subscribe to Our Electronic mail Publication
Keep up-to-date on all the most recent information from the 3D printing business and obtain data and affords from third social gathering distributors.
Add your 3D Fashions and get them printed rapidly and effectively.
