4 min read
This week, a shoe company founded by members of Britain’s Clark’s footwear dynasty introduced a project that says it will help save the planet. They have never been a more sought-after fashion item than they are right now. Special thanks to celebrity collaborations, social media, and one of the most special editions that send fans lining up outside stores on launch day.
According to her, I treat myself to the odd fresh pair, usually bought online with a cursory glance at the size. I assume they will fit, and if they don’t well, I can break them in-cue, hobbling around with painful blisters for several weeks.
She wanted to search for the “future of footwear,” and she had to measure her feet physically. Instead of calling it measured via measuring tape and other shows equipment, she found a new way in Central London, equipped with a monitor that displayed the soles of her feet in real-time. As per Clark, from where I was placing all my weight to measurements for everything from “instep girth” to “arch height,” it was a far cry from “looks like a seven-and-a-half to me.”
Within a few seconds, the scale machine had transformed a scan of her feet into a 3D model and sent it to her phone, ready to form the basis of a bespoke pair of shoes.
Clark says, how we all want to get our new trainers one day, then this and years ago humans made shoes out of local materials, now we have no choice but to do the same thing”.
Made To Order
According to Clark, we are in an era where we are using modern technology to make the shoes we did millennia ago.
“All feet are different, so we can only do so well putting the perfect shoe on your feet.”
“The show industry has a long human-intensive chain of development; it takes a long time, it’s insufficient and slow because you are ordering for stock. You are making a huge bet as a business. This the right shoe people want-well before you have them in stores”.
“We are trying to move towards an efficient digital model made person by person, locally.”
The first thing buyer has to do is to scan their feet at home using a smartphone app. It uses a gaming engine to create the new shoes in 3D. If the user wants to order, shoes will be made using 3D printing with local, sustainable materials.
Winning Over The Sneakerheads
Regarding the mega brands such as Nike, Adidas, Converse, and Vans, the global trainer market was worth more than $70bn the previous year and is projected to exceed $100 bn by 2026.
In Clark’s opinion, the planet can’t take any more of it, and his company’s ambitious Vivobiome initiative should be fully operational by the middle of next year.
It will be operated by “Tesla-like speed factories” where Elon Musk electric car company, the entire process of making shoes takes place under one roof. In 2024, Ireland will host the first with Germany and the US.
Pricing
Vivobarefoot’s goal of helping people will go far if the shoes are affordable and comfortable.
“It’s expensive to do things differently, admits Clark, targeting a £260 launch price. At the same time, the company launched a “pioneer program” to put the initiative through its paces. People who successfully apply will get three pairs and be asked to provide feedback.
“A company like Nike has built an emotional legacy with amazing athletes and excellent products, said Clark.
“But I challenge that’s past. This is looking to the next phase”.
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