CMU School of Drama


Monday, July 15, 2013

Iris van Herpen 3D Printed Designer Shoes

The Mary Sue: These designer shoes are no ordinary Louboutins or Ferragamos– they’re by designer Iris van Herpen, who used a 3-D printer to create this pair of sky-high tentacle heels for her Paris Fashion Week show. Head under the cut for more pictures of the 3-D printed collection, and a video of the shoes in action.

4 comments:

Izzy P. said...

Since 3D printing has been released to the general public and become much more accessible to people who don't work with 3D programs, people have found amazing ways to use the technology. From thinking about printing organs for transplant or food to this, the possibilities are endless. I love seeing all of the amazingly creative things that people come up with and print. I don't know how comfortable those shoes would be, but they may be using a different material than I am used to working with in the extruders. I'm used to working with lego plastic, and that seems like it would not be comfortable to wear. If they are using a softer material then I think that this could be very successful. The only other problem is the build time for 3D objects. As far as I know something like those shoes could probably take between 20 and 40 hours to print.

Kate Fester said...

Wow! This is awesome! I love how the engineering and design fields have transferred into the fashion world. This is a huge accomplishment in our technologically-advancing world! It took a vision to a product. Although this is innovative and creative, I do have some questions. Are the shoes heavy since they are made out of plastic? What kind of 3D printer are they using, and how long did it take to print one shoe? I know the one at CMU took 62 hours to print a 3 inch by 3 inch sphere! Other than that, this is absolutely amazing! I would love to have a pair of 3D printed shoes!

Christy D said...

3D printing is one of the coolest things ever invented. We can take plastics and polymers and print things that would previously have had to be either cast or carved. Like shoes! I never would have thought of plastic shoes, but somebody did. I just shows how creative people can be with these new technologies.

Unknown said...

3D printers will be a giant milestone in technology for the 21st century. Once we master this machine and it becomes a daily thing, the world of marketing and patenting will change forever. People with time will be designing and copying things like these shoes and selling the files. Pirating will move from digital to physical merchandise. My school got one a few years ago, but next year will be the first year it'll be operational and I'll be learning the basics on it. The limits for this machine are just now beginning to be tested, and we haven't seen it really explode yet.