Stratasys unveils 3D printed shoes at Paris Fashion Show

With Dutch designers Iris van Herpen and Rem D Koolhaas, Stratasys 3D printed the shoes with a number of intricate geometries designed to mimic elements of nature.

3D printer maker Stratasys Inc. (Nasdaq: SSYS) today unveiled 12 pairs of 3D printed shoes on the catwalks of the Paris Fashion Week at Iris van Herpen’s Couture show ‘Wilderness Embodied.’ In collaboration with Dutch designers Iris van Herpen and Rem D Koolhaas, Stratasys 3D printed the shoes with a number of intricate geometries designed to mimic elements of nature and push the boundaries of fashion design.

The shoe designs follow van Herpen’s previous collaboration with Stratasys and Prof. Neri Oxman to create an elaborate 3D printed dress. The shoe designs were inspired by tree roots. They feature intricate lattices that wind around the foot, mimicking the natural growth of tree roots. The shoes were 3D printed using Stratasys rigid opaque black and white materials on the PolyJet-based multi-material Objet Connex and Objet Eden 3D Printers whose high resolution enabled the complex geometries integral to the design.

"For me, fashion has always been about setting your own boundaries and making a statement,” said van Herpen. “This time around, Rem and I wanted to create something that echoed the beauty and wilderness of the natural world, so we decided to use the technological capabilities of 3D printing to bring this concept to life through a pair of shoes.

“We knew the capability of the technology in terms of quality, immediacy and creativity from our previous collaboration on the 3D printed dress with Prof. Neri Oxman and Stratasys. Yet it still amazes us how 3D printing can produce such beautiful shoes that perform remarkably under the stress of being walked in,” added van Herpen. “The Stratasys rigid black material was fantastic in giving the shoes a glossy look that would catch the eyes of the audience at the show."

"We are delighted to again be working with such prominent fashion designers on such a prestigious collection. This is the second time for us at the Paris Fashion Show with Iris van Herpen and each time we are amazed at her ability to re-invent fashion with the help of Stratasys 3D printing,” said Stratasys VP marketing Arita Mattsoff. “We believe that 3D printing has become a true creative-enabler for the fashion world. Designers are no longer limited with conventional manufacturing. They can now produce virtually anything they can imagine. For that reason, we feel that 3D printing will become more and more an integral part of fashion design curriculums."

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on July 3, 2013

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