MAGARIMONO and Shining 3D Additive collaborate to create footwear that oversteps the boundaries between creativity and technology.
MAGARIMONO
The Japanese designer footwear brand Magarimono decided to cross the boundaries between creativity and technology to display as they believe that the craftsmanship of footwear changes the expression and function, but also the relationship between the product and the user.
MAGARIMONO features a few words about their endeavors on their site:
“STEP DIFFERENT.
Heresy as the standard for the future.
New footwear unbound by conventions.
Possibilities through fusing material and technology.
Processes never before challenged.
We aim for footwear capable of meeting such goals.”
Through this collection, introduced this summer, the company has established an outstanding design concept that fuses the world of creativity and technology to create footwear that generates a genuinely new experience for the user and allows them to develop a connection with their footwear.
Shining 3D
E-Plus, Shining 3D’s additive manufacturing-focused subsidiary, manufactures most of SHINING 3D Additive’s products. These products include metal SLS, and SLA 3D printers for their applications in the “Aerospace, Automotive, Tooling, Healthcare, Dental, Consumer Products, Education, and many more” industries.
Their contribution to the collection is massive as they developed the new EP-C5050 Pro SLS 3D Printer solely for the mass production of high-quality TPU shoe soles.
Step Different Collection
The idea of the Step Different collection made as a result of the collaboration between Shining 3D and MAGARIMONO is that customers should feel as if they are walking on clouds. They say:
“Who hasn’t always wanted to walk on clouds? With the help of the SLS printing technology of SHINING 3D’s EP-C5050 Pro TPU 3D Printer MAGARIMONO’s designers were able to birth their extraordinary ideas into reality. The four initial designs of the MAGARIMONO ORIGINALS Collection carry the title CLOUD. Each design is a tribute to a scientific category of a cloud with each type of shoe featuring a different cushioning structure.”
The CLOUD concept allows users to select which of these clouds they want to walk on with its unique patterns. The chosen pattern sole is then 3D printed in flexible TPU material with the EP-C5050 . The motion of each “water droplet” in the cloud is carefully planned out by the team at MAGARIMONO making it possible for the duo to execute their phenomenal idea. Each cloud pattern features a different cushioning software that offers a new experience to the user every time.
Thoughts On The Collection
I don’t have any complaints! For an article of clothing (especially footwear) to be deemed “successful”, it has to look nice, be accessible, reflect the user’s personality, and offer something unique. I think this collection does all of the above, because never before have I heard of footwear designed like clouds. Finally, it offers the opportunity of customization, where the customer is in full control of what they get.
That all does come at something of a price, though, as with any high fashion (especially high tech high fashion!) — a pair of shoes from the collection starts at over US$1,000. MAGARIMONO notes that “Prices are set by size as the amount of material used varies.”
In the future, I’d love to see more collections that are the byproduct of design and technology from these two companies as their thought process is so unique. If walking on clouds is possible, there’s so much experimentation that could go on with customizing shoes for different purposes. For example, basketball shoes could be created with extra bounce for a higher jump, shoes could be created to help runners, and so on. The possibilities are endless!
Via Shining 3D and MAGARIMONO
