The first personalized 3D printed sandals in the world are published and the manufacture of shoes enters a new era of personalization

With the maturity of additive manufacturing technology, 3D printing quietly changes the traditional shoe manufacturing industry. On May 12, 2025, according to the Resource Library, recently, the Vivobarefoot barefoot shoe brand announced the launch of the first personalized 3D printed sandal in the world – Vivobiome Tabi Gen 01.

The publication of this product not only attracted public attention to personalized shoes, but also triggered discussions on the prospects for the application of 3D printing in the manufacture of shoes once again.

The Tabi Gen 01 vivobiome is a limited -edge -edge -on -board sandal that combines 3D printing technology with foot and SLS. Users must go to the store to receive a complete 3D feet analysis, and the system will then generate a personalized structure according to foot type data, and the finished product will be directly manufactured by a 3D printer.

Currently, the service is only available in two stores in London and Bristol, in the United Kingdom, and the first batch of products is limited to 590 pairs.

This “Balayage Modeling Priority” process represents a microcosm of the processing of the shoemaker creation industry towards a very digital and personalized manufacturing. Compared to the creation of a traditional cord, which is based on standard molds and sizes, 3D printing can better correspond to the personal structure of the feet with precision, thus improving adjustment, comfort and functionality.

Currently, the application of 3D printing in the shoes is mainly concentrated in the following scenarios:Intermediate sole and insole printing: For example, Futurecraft 4D, Adidas and Carbon, uses digital photosynthesis (DLS) to print elastic intermediate soles to obtain structural optimization and the balance of cushioning performance.

Personalized orthopedic soles and medical assistance shoes: Widely used in footwear patients, use scanning + printing to quickly generate personalized auxiliary tools.Try printing the whole shoe: Including fully 3D printed shoes from Zellerfeld and personalized Vivobarefoot sandals this time, it represents the exploration of “printed parts” to “printed finished products”.

Compared to the creation of traditional cord, 3D printing provides obvious advantages. The first is personalized customization. Thanks to the digitization of the foot type and digital modeling, shoes can adapt more precisely to the type of personal foot, improving comfort and functionality.

Second, the demand production model reduces stock pressure and raw material waste, which contributes to improving manufacturing efficiency. 3D printing also has a higher freedom of design, can achieve complex structures and local functional partitioning, bringing new possibilities to optimize the performance of shoes.

However, this technology is still faced with many challenges. Currently, the cost of equipment and 3D printing materials is relatively high, which leads to the price of this type of product is not affordable. There is still room for improving printing materials in terms of sustainability and other aspects. At the same time, the process of digitization in printing requires high digital capacities and is not easy to promote on a large scale.

Sandals launched by Vivobarefoot This time are not only a new product, but more like the construction of a “data production system” system “: offline scanning and acquisition + algorithm modeling + printing and manufacturing + local delivery.

Although it is currently controlled in a few stores, this model should be adopted by more brands in the future and extends in more segmented markets such as sports shoes, children’s shoes and medical accessories.

Startups like Zellerfeld, which focus on 3D printing shoes, undertake to create a fully modular entirely digital shoe manufacturing platform, where users can submit foot shape and customize shoe models via the application.

This indicates that the future manufacturing of shoes will no longer be based on centralized factories, but could finish delivery in several local printing centers to obtain “manufacturing as a service”.

Vivobarefoot’s attempt can always be a small -scale experience, but it clearly demonstrates a trend.

3D printed shoes may not quickly replace the traditional shoemaker, but it will provide a new viable and potential path for specific populations and scenarios (such as professional sports, feet diseases, sustainable consumption).