International footwear brand Reebok has collaborated with HP, New Guards Group and luxury brand Botter, to bring to life a new 3D-printed concept sneaker.
Shaped like a Murex seashell, the Reebok x Botter concept sneaker – engineered by computing company HP – debuted at 2023 Paris Fashion Week (FW23).
According to a statement, the shoe was created by the HP 3D printing team based in Barcelona, using HP Multi Jet Fusion technology.
Once printed, the grey sneakers were hand-painted to complement the tones featured in Botter’s FW23 collection, it notes.
The project represents Reebok’s first move into sustainability fashion since its acquisition by the Authentic Brands Group.
“HP has built a team of footwear industry specialists, under the lead of Don Albert, a 25-year footwear veteran,” says François Minec, global head of polymers at HP personalisation and 3D printing.
“This team has developed an end-to-end solution to help large and small footwear companies in fashion and performance to reach their goals using HP Multi Jet Fusion Technology.
“We enable new levels of design freedom, fast and agile product development, and a more sustainable local manufacturing process. This collaboration with Reebok and Botter is a perfect introduction of the HP solution to the footwear world.”
Minec adds: “This team has developed an innovative and sustainable end-to-end solution to help sports and fashion industries to reach their goals using HP Multi Jet Fusion technology, a truly industrial technology that provides the highest levels of manufacturing predictability, efficiency, repeatability and quality.”
3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a technique that uses a device to create physical objects from digital models. The range of 3D-printable materials has grown significantly over the years, making the technology appealing to a wider array of industries.
Sportswear companies such as Nike, Adidas, Under Armour and New Balance have also experimented with 3D printing, producing shoe designs with 3D-printed elements.
“We are very excited to join forces with Reebok and envision a new future of footwear and apparel together. We aim to push the boundaries of technology and sustainability while embracing the legacy of Reebok,” say Botter designers Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh.
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