With all the major footwear manufacturers announcing commitment to innovation and sustainability with their own 3D printed shoes, we rank the top 5 major 3D shoe releases in the industry thus far.
5. Peak ‘Future’
The most affordable 3D printed shoe from a major manufacturer gives Peak a leg up on its competition with the recently announced 'Future' model. The Chinese sportswear company's first 3D printed shoe will retail for $188 in China. The shoe certainly gets a leg up on its price point, and doesn’t look too bad either.
“The Future sneakers are the newest achievement brought by Peak Sport’s innovative strategy. Our target is to build Peak Sport into the most international, professional and innovative sports brand in China,” said Xu Zhihua, the general manager of Peak Sport at the launch. “Peak Sport will continue technology innovation and keep producing professional sports products. Peak Sport will strive to become the leading sports brand in China and go international.”
4. Nike 'Zoom SuperFly Flyknit'
Nike has shown a clear commitment to 3D printing technology with its ‘ManRev’ initiative. Its latest 3D printed shoe, the Zoom Superfly Flyknit cracks the top 5, because, well its nike, but also for its performance potential. The shoe was debuted by Nike runner Allyson Felix in the Rio Olympics, and is said to shave .1 seconds off a runners time, enough to go from 4th place to a 1st place finish.
3. Reebok ‘Liquid Factory’
The Liquid Factory shoe from Reebok is certainly unique. It features a polyurethane midsole unlike anything we have seen before. The material is the same found in a superball, to give the shoes dramatic bounce and performance potential in running.
“The Liquid Factory is fundamentally made different, the race in 3d printing has been to get finer and finer detail to look like a cast part. A lot of 3d printing companies talk about how you can’t see the layers anymore; what we are doing is doing fewer layers, in four or five layers, and that speeds up the process,” Bill McInnis, Head of Reebok Future told 3Dshoes.com about its Liquid Factory model.
Reebok initially released a 300 pair run that sold out almost immediately. The company is expected to do another release in the second half of 2017 and is anticipating broad releases in 2019. The Liquid Factory retails for $189.95.
2. Under Armour 'The Architech'
Under Armour announced ‘The Architect’ 3D printed shoe ahead of the Rio Olympics for its star athlete Michael Phelps to wear outside the pool. The shoe is one of the sharpest designs we have ever seen from Under Armour, showcasing the potential 3D printing has in disrupting the shoe industry. The Architech retailed for $300, making it the most expensive shoe Under Armour ever created.
1. Adidas Futurecraft 4D
Number 1 comes as no surprise, the Adidas Futurecraft 4D has brought an incredible amount of interest in the 3D shoe industry. In a partnership with Silicon Vally startup, Carbon, the FutureCraft 4D will be the first mainstream release of a 3D printed shoe, set for a 5,000 pair releases in late 2017, and a 100,000 release in 2018.
The shoe is unlike anything we have ever seen from any manufacturer, and has created quite the buzz on the resale market as well.
