ORGANIC, the collection of ecological shoes printed in 3D

The ORGANIC shoe collection is a collaboration between Lucie Trejtnarová, a postgraduate student at Tomas Bata University in Zlin, Czech Republic; the materials manufacturer, Fillamentum, and the design studio, Malai Design & Materials. As the name implies, these are ecological shoes printed in 3D. More specifically, a pair of recyclable and compostable sandals.

Nowadays, Additive Manufacturing is an excellent companion for green projects, and now also for fashion and design. In fact, the ORGANIC project is another example of how 3D printing opens the way for the development of sustainable projects.

Development of ecological shoes printed in 3D

First place, the sandals show a 3D printed outsole, made of TPU-based Flexfill 98A and printed on an Ultimaker 3 3D printer. But, why using this material? Well, Fillamentum Flexfill 98A 3D printing plastic offers a high processing capacity and very specific mechanical properties. The filament manufacturer offers two degrees of Flexfill, the 98A and the 92A. In the case of this project, 98A was chosen because it is more resistant and is the most suitable for footwear. Finally, this 3D printed sole is completely recyclable thanks to its processability properties. Something Lucie Trekhtnarová was looking for when choosing print material.

The top is made of Malai (also known as coconut leather) and Piñatrex, made of pineapple leaves. Coconut leather, like real leather, is flexible, durable and water resistant. Malai is produced from fully organic and sustainable bacterial cellulose, grown from coconut industry residues in southern India.

Lucie Trekhtnarová explained:

“We are responsible for each of our steps. Shoes from the Organic collection are based on a simple principle: At the end of their life, you can divide both parts, the upper in a compost and the sole you can recycle, to use it again.”

Trekhtnarová also claimed that the ORGANIC concept began when she was doing his thesis on «3D Extravagance» at the Tomas Bata University. “First I got in touch with the creation of 3D models and the use of 3D printers at the University, [which] was a completely new challenge for me.” To learn 3D modeling, “I continued at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem with a SOLIDWORKS course,” she added.

To understand how this collection came true, you can watch the following video:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVsHw67OMnw&w=560&h=315]

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