New Balance dips into the 3-D printing phenomenon with a range of limited edition sneakers, each equipped with specially crafted midsoles. Made up of ultra-comfy, spongy, subtractive cells, NB’s new soles feature a swiss cheese-like 3-D laser sintered layer in between the shoe’s upper and translucent rubber outsole. And while technology seems to update the way we process materials, the shoes are still relatively hand-made. “You can feel the individual parts of the midsole moving along with your foot,” says manager of New Balance’s Innovation Studio Katherine Pretrecca, but “How we achieve that [customization] now, with a complicated and long supply chain, is not a great model.”
New Balance’s new prototype sneaker launches April 15 with only 44 pairs, each priced at $400 USD. Will you be copping?
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