Award winning 3D printed shoes
Master of Design student Earl Stewart has been recognised as part of a company that has won the Virgin Media Three New Things competition.
Three Over Seven comprises three kiwis based in London: Tim Brown (Founder), Nicholas Couch and Earl. Currently manufacturing woollen running shoes, Wool Runners, their pitch took out the first place in the Virgin Media Business competition earlier this year.
Earl began talking with Three Over Seven when his Master’s thesis, XYZ shoe, went viral and was noticed online by people moving in a similar direction. XYZ shoe focuses on creating 3D scans of a human foot, and printing a custom shoe that fits perfectly. This extends to the concept of mass customisation which looks to be made a reality with the future of 3D printing.
Earl’s involvement with Three Over Seven is to help them move in a digital direction. “Three Over Seven is about offering a unique, New Zealand flavoured solution to a global problem (shoe sizing). We’ve highlighted the bottlenecks and problems within standard mass manufacturing and see going digital as a way to overcome a lot of these problems.”
Wool Runners are running shoes specifically designed for sockless wear, a world first. The shoes are made in Portugal and designed in New Zealand by product designer Jamie McLellan. The company started out with a Kickstarter campaign which reached maximum pledge target in just five days.
“Moving ahead we are going to be developing a digital tool to help us fulfil our mission of customised fit, winning the competition has opened so many doors for the company. The best thing at the moment is feeling like are part something great, and potentially disruptive,” says Earl.
The prize includes consultation with Richard Branson, and a considerable amount of funding for business telecoms.