Erosion

Erosion is the naturally-occurring process of removing material from the earth via wind and water. Often times, erosion can create dramatic natural forms and aggressive, sculptural landscapes. Bringing this concept to footwear, I have designed a sneaker that not only takes on a striking erosive form, but also removes a large amount of material from the product. Removing material from a design is a critical component of 3D printing. Removing material allows for lower production costs and a decrease in the amount of resources needed to construct the object. From a performance perspective, less material also reduces weight.

Accompanying the evocation of erosion through design, I present the shoe in three colorways: Dirt, Moss, and Cloudscape. Each colorway represents a camouflage for various aspects of our environment, which I have created through a combination of photography and graphic design.

EROSION IS SHAPED BY AIR

Material: Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU 55A-70A)

Designed in Rhinoceros 3D

Dirt

MOSS

CLOUDSCAPE

Geodesy 1.0

Simplifying a shoe into only its necessary components, Geodesy 1.0 focuses on 3 primary locations for support and structure: a half-calf velcro closure system, a rigid heel cup, and an instep strap. These 3 targeted areas for support work in tandem to lock down the foot and ankle. Material is absent beyond these areas to reduce the amount of resources needed to manufacture the shoe.

A complex geodesic midsole pattern draws upon principles of architecture and engineering to showcase the structural integrity of the shoe. The midsole is designed to support the natural geometry of the human foot, taking cues from contemporary running and athletic footwear to provide maximum comfort.

Material: Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU 55A-70A)

Designed in Rhinoceros 3D

Vortex Boot

The Vortex Boot maximizes 3D printing capabilities by creating an aggressive, angular shape for a boot. The midsole deploys extreme design principles, with highly complex air passages cut out from heel to toe. These passages are twisted and cortorted, resembling vortexes, tornadoes, and cyclones, or, extreme wind events. The boot is presented in a custom graphic colorway called “Splinter”, which highlights the power of wind to rupture objects, fragmenting them across a landscape.

Material: Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU 55A-70A)

Designed in Rhinoceros 3D

Honeycomb Lattice Midsole

A natural architectural form manifests itself in consumer footwear.

Lattice structures are powerful forms in 3D printing; they lower the total surface area of an object, while maintaining structural integrity. This means that less material is required to manufacture an object, lowering costs and reducing weight without sacrificing performance.

Using visual programming with Grasshopper 3D in Rhino, I created a lattice structure for a midsole component. By employing the honeycomb form, I leverage a pre-existing natural system to optimize the performance and efficiency of my footwear design.

Designed with Grasshopper in Rhinoceros 3D