The footwear brand Ica & Kostika is using 3D printing to turn heads again with its new collection, Exobiology.
This latest line of wearable art features pairs with names like Seahorse, Vertebrae and Coral, all of which inspired its creators.
“This collection is a celebration of the natural systems that create beautiful intricacies and how we can go beyond nature to create a form engineered to our desires, something otherworldly,” explained co-founder Ica Paru.
Their first collection, which came out in 2018, caused a stir with its unique 3D printed designs inspired by the mycelial growth of a mushroom. The limited edition run offered only five pairs for sale to lucky customers.
Though the shoes appear quite rigid, the brand says comfort was a top priority.
They designed and printed the shoes to complement the natural shape and curve of your foot, while simultaneously challenging what a normal heel can look like.
Art and Math Combine to Create a 3D Printed Exobiology Collection Shoe
The Exobiology collection offers a range of styles to choose from and each name alludes to the inspiration behind the design. The Seahorse, for example, was sparked by the animal’s “beautiful skeletal structure,” says the brand on its Instagram, while the Spine shoe manipulates the “vertebrae to create a continuous form along the foot.”
Alternatives include the Coral shoe which was designed with the branching of a sea fan in mind. The Mycelium Wedge, the original shoe by Ica & Kostika, received an update for the new collection.
To develop the shoes, the company explains that they 3D print them in Nylon 12 and finish them with automotive grade electroplating. The result is lightweight, durable, long-lasting and absolutely fabulous to behold.
Ica & Kostika also explain on their website that passion, love, art and the highest levels of mathematics were used to develop these shoes. However, they’re very elusive about how you can acquire a pair of the shoes yourself and the brand has no online shop.
Only a small number of the shoes will be made and prices are available on request. If you’re interested in any of the designs, you’re encouraged to contact them or sign up to the mailing list.
If you do manage to score a pair of these kicks, you’ll need to download an app and scan or take pictures of your feet. The company will then map your foot to create the perfect fit. Once you have your hands on a pair, you’ll be wowing fashion forward friends everywhere you go.
To see more innovations in footwear using 3D printing, check out the following links:
Reebok Launches 3D Printed Shoe Called the Liquid Floatride Run Step Into the Future of Shopping with a 3D Printed ShoeSource: Design Milk
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