The sneaker industry’s latest innovation is a throwback of sorts.
At ComplexCon earlier in October, Nike unveiled the Air Max 95000, a 3D-printed reimaging of the brand’s classic Air Max 95 sneaker made with Zellerfeld, a Germany-based startup specialising in the technology. More models like this are on the way: Nike also announced at the event that it has entered a multi-year partnership with Zellerfeld.
It’s not just Nike. Adidas in May launched its own fully 3D printed sneaker, the Climacool. Puma has the 3D Mostro, which it collaborated on with A$AP Rocky. Zellerfeld works with everyone from the sandal brand Havaianas to Justin Bieber.
The industry has been here before. Sneaker brands were enthusiastic participants in the 3D printing boom of the mid-2010s, when the technology seemed poised to shake up manufacturing of everything from fashion to airplane parts and prosthetic limbs. That dream faded: in most cases, 3D printers proved too slow, expensive and finicky for mass production.
Sneaker brands are betting things will be different this time around. Consumers have been clamoring for innovation and creativity in the marketplace. Supporters of 3D-printed footwear believe that’s a space the product can fill, thanks to improvements in the materials used to 3D print footwear. New advances in printing with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) — the material typically used to create midsoles and outsoles in traditional sneakers — have made the sneakers more comfortable to wear.
“We want printed shoes on every foot,” said Cornelius Schmitt, CEO of Zellerfeld, said. “This is going to explode way more.”
Why the Trend Faded
The first wave of 3D printing had a lot in common with today’s AI boom.
Supporters of the technology and the companies leading the charge made big promises that were hard to keep. The technology was supposed to lead to breakthroughs and disruption in people’s everyday lives, where they’d be able to print essentials at the push of a button via home printers.
But 3D printers aren’t easy to use if you don’t know what you’re doing. The highest quality printers can also cost thousands of dollars. Today, the technology is most commonly used by hobbyists or to make prototypes and specialty parts in small quantities.
Adidas launched several 3D-printed models during the boom.
There was positive press and fan reaction when Adidas first unveiled models like the Ultra 4D in 2020 — a spin on the popular Adidas Ultra Boost model with a 3D-printed midsole. The brand followed up with the 4DFWD runner in 2021. Today, the Ultra 4D is discontinued and the 4DFWD is discounted by as much as 55 percent on the company website.
“That was a really unique product,” said Matt Powell, an advisor at BCE Consulting. “It looked like nothing else in the marketplace. But that shoe never became a commercial.”
John Trottier, known as JohnnysKicks in sneaker collector circles, owned one of the first Adidas 3D-printed models. He said he found the design interesting and the technology innovative, but actually wearing the shoes was uncomfortable. Trottier, who is the creator of Zellerfeld collaborator Trottier Designs, said the liquid resin material Adidas used was the problem.
“That was crazy hard plastic,” he said. “The lattices — the separation of the holes — was so tight that there was no real give on the shoe, and so, no real comfort there.”
Familiar Challenges
3D-printed footwear’s big comeback is happening at a perfect time. Nike’s dependence on its archival models has backfired as consumers have been searching for newness in the marketplace. That search has driven many once-loyal customers to challenger brands with new (sometimes, even strange) looks. Meanwhile, Nike has begun its work in winning those consumers over again by bringing new technology and designs to the table. 3D-printed footwear is a major part of that effort.
What consumers are witnessing is a constant arms race to create and develop the next great material or innovation that completely resets the footwear market. Considering the current state of play, 3D printing’s return may have been inevitable.
“The customer is demanding newness all the time,” Powell said.
Different companies do 3D printing in different ways. For example, Adidas’ partner, Carbon, a California-based company, uses a liquid resin that solidifies when hit with light to develop its material. Adidas designs the framework of the model and Carbon prints it out. Zellerfeld, on the other hand, uses a nozzle that weaves together a flexible thermoplastic polyurethane filament into a sneaker. That’s a material often used in sneakers to create components like midsoles and outsoles. In this case, it’s the entire shoe.
The models can be as simple or intricate as the designer wants. Some are made specifically for lifestyle like Adidas’ Climacool or the Air Max 95000. Some are geared toward more slightly rigorous activities like hiking. As an example, Schmitt showcased a 3D-printed work boot created by designer and artist Kevin Rosa.
For 3D-printed footwear to last, it’ll need to stretch beyond its current capabilities to attract a broader consumer base. It’ll need to do that in different performance categories, in particular. Especially in a moment where sportswear leaders like Nike are doubling down on sports.
Most models are typically geared toward more casual use.
“Right now, most 3D-printed shoes are not going to be for performance,” aspiring 3D footwear designer Doug Knight said.
While he said he owns several 3D printed models, he wouldn’t wear any of them as runners because the materials wouldn’t hold up.
“The material just doesn’t have the same properties as a traditional foam,” he said. “I don’t know if there’s any 3D-printed shoe that’s going to be made for a more intense performance. Most of the shoes are going to be made for casual use.”
There’s also the problem of sizing. Knight said he wears a size 15 shoe. Some 3D printers don’t have build plates large enough to properly build a shoe in his size, which reduces access. “You pretty much have a specific size of what you can build,” he said.
Why This Time Could Be Different
Schmitt believes that democratising design and allowing people everywhere to build and sell footwear that’s comfortable for them will make this run sustainable. He said he wants his company to become the YouTube or Spotify of design.
While the 2010s vision of having everything in one’s home 3D-printed may have been too ambitious a decade ago, Schmitt said it’s what drove him to create Zellerfeld.
“I think it would be so cool if every person had a replicator in their home,” he said.
That future hasn’t manifested, but Zellerfeld has roughly 200 printers at its European headquarters in Germany and plans to have thousands more operational at its new facility in Texas. There are nearly 200 designs on sale from users on Zellerfeld’s platform.
Within the next few years, as the technology improves, Schmitt says, 3D-printed footwear will see breakthroughs in various performance categories and designs. For example, Zellerfeld is working on launching a new multi-color solution for 2026 that will allow designers to use multiple colors for the first time in their work.
Other believers in footwear’s 3D-printed future say things will be different this time around, and they’ll name Nike and its partnership with Zellerfeld as a huge reason why. After all, the two sides have already created two shoes together that are reselling for huge premiums on secondary market platforms.
“Nike was the biggest co-sign Zellerfeld and 3D printing could’ve ever gotten,” Trottier said. “It takes a company like Nike to hype it and to then have everyone believe it.”
But, ultimately, this is about the consumer, Powell said. They want to feel attached to the products they buy. While creating an innovative product the marketplace hasn’t seen before can spark initial interest, brands and creators need to pair it with something else to keep the flame burning long-term, Powell said.
“It’s not guaranteed that a new technology is going to get you there, but it could,” he said. “I applaud the idea of, ‘Let’s, let’s try something different that we haven’t seen before, and see if the kids grab on to it.”