In a yr already full of headline-making partnerships, 3D printing startup Zellerfeld has now teamed up with one of many greatest names in sneaker tradition: Sean Wotherspoon. Recognized for his inventive designs that merge retro fashion with daring concepts, Wotherspoon is entering into the world of absolutely 3D printed footwear with a brand new assortment referred to as Sean Double U, a sneaker and a mule, each printed fully in a single piece.
Wotherspoon, who first rose to fame along with his successful Nike Air Max 97/1 design in 2017, has since develop into probably the most influential voices within the footwear and streetwear industries. The design, which received Nike’s fan-voted “Vote Ahead” competitors, blended his retro imaginative and prescient with fascinating supplies like corduroy and shortly turned a favourite when it dropped on Air Max Day 2018.
The designer’s work will be present in manufacturers like Adidas, Hole, and even Porsche, and he’s usually praised for bringing a sustainable method to the sneaker world. With this newest collaboration, he’s including one other layer to his sustainability journey: footwear made with out glue, stitching, or extra waste, which will be recycled fully.
“Sean Double U is concerning the totally different sides all of us have,” Wotherspoon explains. “The sneaker is for movement. The mule is for slowing down.”
Every mannequin is created utilizing Zellerfeld’s proprietary 3D printing course of, which eliminates the necessity for conventional manufacturing instruments and supplies. Which means no factories, no provide chain bottlenecks, and no sweatshops. As an alternative, the footwear are produced on demand, tailor-made to every purchaser’s foot utilizing a smartphone scan. The result’s footwear that’s absolutely recyclable, washable, breathable, and made with a tender foam lattice that appears futuristic however feels snug straight away, says Wotherspoon.
The gathering, which features a sneaker priced at $189 and a mule at $149, is out there completely on Zellerfeld’s web site. Each kinds are created with consolation and on a regular basis put on in thoughts, however additionally they stand out for his or her sculptural designs, which wouldn’t be attainable with out 3D printing.
Sean Wotherspoon along with his sneakers.
This isn’t Zellerfeld’s first high-profile collaboration of 2025. In simply the primary quarter of the yr, the corporate has labored with a rising variety of companions, together with Nike, which introduced {that a} printed shoe developed with Zellerfeld is anticipated to launch this summer time. There have additionally been experimental drops with trend collectives like White Lotus and types like KOZOS and RTFKT, every utilizing Zellerfeld’s on-demand platform to launch small-batch, custom-fit footwear.
The rationale so many designers are turning to Zellerfeld has every thing to do with the know-how behind the footwear. Conventional sneaker manufacturing is inflexible, sluggish, and tied to fastened schedules and lengthy provide chains. However Zellerfeld does issues fully otherwise, since modifications will be made within the morning and examined the identical day. There aren’t any molds or minimal orders. For designers like Wotherspoon, who’re used to coping with large timelines and layers of approvals, that’s a game-changer.
“You don’t simply ship off a sketch and wait months,” Wotherspoon mentioned of the collaboration. “We have been printing samples nearly in actual time. It’s a distinct mind-set about design—and about what footwear will be.”
Zellerfeld’s footwear is made utilizing a fabric referred to as zellerFOAM®, a sort of versatile thermoplastic that types a lattice construction. This not solely provides the footwear a singular look, however it additionally means they’re breathable, supportive, and surprisingly sturdy. And since every pair is created from a single materials, they are often absolutely recycled into new footwear when returned, making the corporate’s round economic system proposal greater than only a PR promise.
The Sean Double U challenge additionally marks a giant shift in how footwear are designed and produced. Wotherspoon, who has spent years experimenting with different supplies and extra accountable manufacturing, sees this as a logical subsequent step.
“I’ve at all times been drawn to initiatives that push boundaries,” he says. “And what Zellerfeld is doing—rethinking each a part of the method—is simply that.”
Sean Wotherspoon’s Sean Double U sneakers in pink.
In an trade identified for mass manufacturing, restricted innovation, and loads of waste, the place thousands and thousands of unsold footwear usually find yourself in outlet shops or landfills, Zellerfeld is providing a completely totally different imaginative and prescient, one that’s getting actual traction with designers, manufacturers, and customers as properly. Whether or not it’s Sean Wotherspoon’s sculpted slip-ons or Nike’s upcoming launch, the way forward for footwear has so much to do with the way it’s made.
Pictures courtesy of Zellerfeld.
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