We spend most of our time in buildings, and we cannot deny that the foundation is the prime aspect of any structure and the whole performance of the building structure depends on it. Comparably, our feet are the foundation of our body structure and are responsible for the firm and stable hold of the body. In consequence, shoes play a very crucial role in our daily lives giving plinth to our feet. And, it is essential to find the right fit and the perfect size as per the individual’s requirement. Shoe designers are, therefore, using modern technologies and innovative techniques to create a shoe that shall be one’s soulmate. And they are persistently pushing the boundaries to integrate shoe designs and to interface smoothly with different disciplines. Resultantly, shoe designing has become a separate craft of its own that aims to serve more than just functionality.
Here are a few shoe designs that will make you rethink the future of shoe designing!
Form follows Function: Futuristic Designs of Dewayne Dale
Dewayne Dale is a designer with an educational background in ‘Athletic Training and Exercise Science’ and ‘Industrial Design‘ who strives to create classy-looking congenial footwear for all outdoor activities. His shoe designs are a coalesce of art and science. He uses his understanding of the human anatomy to derive design solutions wherein the shoes take effect as the second skin on the feet.
Here are some of his athleisure shoe designs!
1. The 3D Surprise Shoe | Shoe designs
The futuristic-looking shoes designed by Dewayne Dale, were a result of the creative process as a form-finding exercise ended up fabricating a shoe using 3d CAD software. Hence, the award-winning shoe design expert named the shoe — ‘3D Surprise Shoe’. Here, the form creates a visual distinction between the top and the bottom in a seamless surface of the shoe.
The toughness of the base eases hiking by providing friction and grip required and, the flexible top perfectly sits on top of every muscle and bone with its protrusion details.
2. The Season Friendly Shoes
These shoe designs are a part of the KEEN Utility line. The brand’s agenda is to bring out products that are economical, adaptable, and user-friendly. And target the market of go-to walking specific footwear that promotes a smoother walking gait. This design leverages the current consumer fashion trends and makes it wearable in the fall and winter seasons.
Form follows Fashion: Zaha Hadid Collaborations
Starchitect Zaha Hadid is known for fluidity and seamlessness in her futuristic designs characterized by sharp angles, curving surfaces, and distinctive materials. Her designs have a unique trademark that people can easily recognize.
Zaha Hadid believed that architects must express their abstract ideas in different scales and magnitudes through divergent mediums. Therefore, she collaborated with professionals from various domains and has created masterpieces in disciplines like product design, fashion design, and exhibition designs.
Here are some of her shoe design collaborations!
3. The Flames Shoe
Zaha Hadid teamed up with Rem Koolhaas‘s fashion label Uniter Nude to create the Flames shoe. The shoe design posits the spirit of Zaha Hadid’s design philosophy. As the name suggests, the shoes imitate the form of flame achieved through modern techniques of 3d printing and SelectiveLaser Sintering in a stiff Nylon and all-new soft rubber material. The shoe design posits a seamless blend of fluidity with cutting angles.
4. The Nova Shoe
The Nova shoe is another collaboration between Zaha Hadid and Rem Koolhaas. Zaha Hadid inspires designers to have a singular approach towards all scales of projects and believes that the nexus of design with ergonomics yields highly functional and desirable solutions.
One can see that this shoe design is similar to the Jockey Club Innovation Tower in Hong Kong. The zig-zag ridges of the shoes take inspiration from Zaha Hadid’s structure mentioned above. These are also the first-ever shoes to use rotational molding in their manufacture.
5. The Plastic Shoes | Shoe designs
Zaha Hadid teamed up with Brazilian footwear company Melissa in 2008 to explore design and form in a whole different medium. The shoe design is very organic and asymmetrically wraps itself around the feet. Every curve and protrusion of the shoe design aims to blur the distinction between the skin and the plastic.
The attention to detail of every muscle and bone of the foot makes these shoes very comfortable to walk in. And, the shoe design also does not compromise on the aesthetics, and the form achieved used rapid prototyping of mold technology.
6. The Lacoste Shoes
Zaha Hadid’s shoe design for the Lacoste footwear is derived using the digital interpretations of the repeated patterns in tandem with the form of the feet. The shoes look as if they emerge from the ground and are crawling up the feet. The continuous shoe strap runs around the legs till the knees, which expand and contract according to the body movement. The flexible material adds to the ergonomic advantage of the shoe design.
The shoe has a snapping metal band enclosed in the leather that secures itself at the ankle height and the knee height. The responsive and flexible strap gently wraps itself around the feet, providing more grip to the user.
Form follows Facts: The Smart Shoes
The ‘smart shoes’ are shoes that monitor the athletic performance of the user using avant-garde technology. And are a product of digital fabrication that boosts the convenience and comfort of the user.
Here are a few of the ‘smart shoe’ designs in the infant industry of shoes with intelligent trackers!
7. HyperAdapt 1.0 by Nike
In 2016, Nike launched an auto-lacing shoe for runners. The soul of the shoes has pressure sensors that trigger a self-lace algorithm in the shoe. These sensors enable the tightening and loosening of the shoes according to the swelling or the pressure exerted. The shoe design comprises an LED that displays the battery and alerts the user with a battery life of up to 2 weeks.
8. HOVR HAVOC by Under Armour | Shoe designs
The shoe was launched in 2010 by HOVR Phantom and HOVR Sonic shoes to measure the metric essential for the athletes. The soul has in-built sensors that measure pace, distance, steps, stride, and cadence. The shoe with an in-built chip helps the user monitor the performance and the stats through Android and iOS apps.
9. The Smart Shoes by Digitsole
This ‘smart shoe’ by Digitsole offers a wide range of uses for everyone. It provides personalized feedback to improve the health and lifestyle of the user. The shoes with Bluetooth connectivity provide feedback to analyze health, fatigue, posture, steps, and calories. These light-weight next-gen shoes also have auto-lacing and temperature regulation features in them.
10. Mechanised Sole by Enko | Shoe designs
This shoe by ENKO has a mechanized shoe specially designed for runners. As the name suggests, the shoe has a mechanized soul that adds extra grip to the shoes with its angled spring that absorbs the pressure. Doesn’t it look like it’s straight out of a sci-fi movie!
