Shoetopia
A Sustainable Sneaker Production System
With the goal of creating more sustainable footwear, 'Shoetopia,' an innovative sneaker production system, is proposing just that. Addressing problems such as excess and waste in production, pollution or labor exploitation, the designers have tried to re-imagine what the distribution of goods could look like. Why not sell perfectly fitted shoes as a file, to be 3D-printed locally and personally, in just the amount needed? The core of the project is a personalized parametric model, based on the user's foot dimensions. It works within a dedicated web customizer and is complemented by a measuring app. Ultimately, users could personalize their shoes' visuals, materialize them in a local 3D-printing center or, optionally, print and assemble themselves at home. The base shoe design consists of a resilient openwork sole and an upper part, created by printing directly onto fabric. The shoes would be assembled without gluing or sewing, so that certain elements can be exchanged when needed.