Custom Footwear Design
Overview
This project focused on custom shoe creation using traditional footwear construction techniques through a hands-on, experimental lens. The process began with vacuum-forming plastic lasts, which served as the foundation for sculpting the midsole using lightweight modeling clay to explore form and fit.
The final prototypes featured paneled uppers, carefully constructed and then attached directly to the sculpted clay soles. This approach combined traditional pattern-making with experimental material use, allowing for full creative control over silhouette, structure, and assembly.
Challenge
How can we build a functional shoe that fits the human foot while experimenting with non-traditional materials and fabrication methods like vacuum forming and modular construction?
Solution
The final prototype was constructed using foam and textile materials, shaped over custom-made lasts to explore form, proportion, and ergonomic fit. Rather than focusing on durability, the emphasis was on capturing the structural design of the shoe and testing modular construction methods. The result was a soft, sculptural prototype that demonstrated how various materials and fabrication techniques could come together to inform future functional footwear.
Tools & Technology
Tools: Vacuum former, heat gun, band saw, industrial sewing machine, rotary cutter.
Techniques: Last-making, vacuum forming, cutting, bonding.
Materials: PETG plastic, canvas or neoprene textile, EVA foam, rubber sole.