www.designboom.com: on the occasion of the milan design week 2015, united nude and 3D systems present ‘re-inventing shoes’ — an exhibition which debuts new and exclusive 3D printed high heel concepts conceived by five of the world’s leading architects and designers: ben van berkel, fernando romero, michael young, ross lovegrove and zaha hadid.
6 comments:
As ridiculous as it sounds, I'm so excited about the future of footwear. For too long has the world suffered the plight of comfortable yet un-stylish or exciting shoes. I know that I personally am very biased, because having a good pair of statement shoes on is enough to get me through the most difficult of days. However, I feel like other people should find encouragement and empowerment in their shoes as well. I think that more exhibitions and exposure of more unique shoe styles would increase public awareness into this generally misunderstood concept. For one, I feel like people don't want to make a statement with their shoes, which is obviously understandable and reasonable. At the same time though, however, I feel like there is a wide range of people that might be able to find empowerment simply from the shape of their shoes that are failing to do so because they simply haven't been exposed to anything different than what they're used to.
My first thought is that this is really cool, but I question who would wear this. Why does it have to be in a hairlip, something that is generally for women, and usually for girls in grade school. I honestly cannot remember the last time I knew someone who wore a hair clip rather than a bobby pin. I don’t see why they couldn't just make this a pocket sized multitool. I know they have one that is basically the size of a credit card. This seems like a pointless edition to the multitool lineup, not to mention uncomfortable. The screwdriver would probably stab into your head every time you tried to put it on. It also seems like it would be really dangerous to have the cutting part so close to your head when you snap it down, and so close to your hand when the clip is open. I mean, the clip can cut through rope, and does not provide a good grip.
I think it’s really cool that fashion companies are playing around with 3D technology. With all the articles I’ve been reading with new printers, it’s good to see a company that is not focused in technology use the 3D printing. My only thoughts are why they decided on this design for the shoes. I do not pretend to know all that much about fashion or shoes, but those shoes do not look comfortable . they said that it was a mix of hard plastic and rubber, but they still look strange. I guess you could say they look futuristic, which is the point, it being 3D technology, but I don't understand who would buy them. I am really excited to see what fashion companies will do with 3D printing in the future, what with printers becoming more and more versatile in their printable substances, from plastic, to metal, to circuits, to wood. it’s crazy what they can do now.
Even though not everyone may want to wear statement shoes, it is a very interesting and cool way of using the advancing technology to reinvent something that has been around for a very long time. The advances in 3D printing technology that are allowing them to print with different materials, even something like a soft rubber, are opening doors for more interesting designs and functions. Like the laser-cut spine, there are so many interesting uses for this technology that might be overlooked-and clothing is a great place to start. I think the design is a little bit uninteresting (from what I could see in the photos) because there are so many possibilities, but maybe the structural inefficiencies of the material used to print wouldn’t allow for something more daring. Who knows? Either way, it is a very cool innovation, and I look forward to seeing more creations using this technology.
YES. Let's get 3D printing everywhere it can possibly go. Not only is the process itself revolutionary, but it has the potential to very well take over the world. Let's take something that is very normalized (shoes) and flip it on its head. Who says that it has to have a sole and shoelaces and all of those other components that we see every day in our closets? 3D printed shoes will probably not be wide-spread anytime soon, considering possible prices and overall aesthetic, but once they hit Milan, they're going to become big. I see these being really big with fashion bloggers, but I wonder how they would hold up on the red carpet, figuratively and literally. Is the material durable enough to stand the wear and tear of every day use? I think if these designers want to reach out to the public, they should start with more standard designs to hook the normal people and then move on to these crazy designs. Nevertheless, I absolutely adore this concept and can't wait to see it everywhere.
It is really wonderful to see that instead of merely using technological advancements to increase efficiency, designers are using these new technologies to redefine boundaries. Especially in the wake of 3D printing, designers can now access and realize shapes and geometrical structures that simply were unrealistic before. These statement shoes are fascinating in both their manufacture and their level of intricacy. I'm curious as to how heavy and "wearable" these designs are.
However, there is a line that must be minded in terms of fashion design, where creators utilize the technology to better fulfill their visions, or broaden the range of concepts that can be realized, but do not simply suit their designs to fit the technology. While these automated processes can take us further and higher than before, we must work to consciously retain the human element of design. There must be an effort to still create art, instead of manufacturing it.
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