Whale-Inspired 3D Printed Shoe Released by Elastium x LaLaLand

3D printed shoes have been circulating in the footwear market for years. From high fashion shoes to running sneakers, we’ve seen many brands, including adidas, Dior, and ASICS, use 3D printing to create innovative products. LaLaLand Production and Design, California’s largest shoe manufacturer, is the latest company to experiment with the technology. They partnered with Elastium, a Los Angeles-based 3D printing startup, and have since released their first 3D printed shoe collaboration: The Orca. 

The Orca shoe, with its smooth white soles and sleek black upper, clearly resembles its namesake. Even the sole’s curve midway through the shoe subtly suggests a fin. What’s special about the shoe, however, is not just its appearance. Its midsole, outsole, and upper were 3D printed using Elastium’s proprietary pellet-based technology called FIDEM. FIDEM provides shortcuts for the transition between 3D printing and traditional molding techniques, and this is the specialty of LaLaLand.

The 3D printing chambers where Elastium prints their shoes

They used thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) in different forms to complete the shoe, using it as foam for the sole and elastic as the upper part of the shoe. Elastium’s proprietary foam has an energy return of over 75% (the amount of bounce inside the shoe after the foot lands on the ground). This cushioning also outperforms ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), a standard in footwear. TPU’s high flexibility and resistance make it ideal for creating shoes that must be flexible and durable. To assemble the shoe, the team used traditional techniques like stitching and 3D printing. 

LalaLand and Elastium’s collaboration is an answer to the call for fast, scalable and sustainable footwear production. Their plan allows for concept-to-market in several weeks, and initial investment costs are reduced by up to 80%. This is a welcome shift from traditional methods, which come with a myriad of challenges like logistical overhead, heavy upfront investments, sluggishness, and stockpile accumulation.

These issues, which are also impacted by the geopolitical climate, mean it is costly and time-consuming to outsource stock. Therefore, the need for localized and sustainable manufacturing is intensified, and LaLaLand and Elastium are trying to meet the demand. Additionally, they seek to localize their production without limiting scalability and the types of products they can produce.

Close-ups of the bottom of the shoe (left) and side of the shoe (right)

The founder of Elastium, Robert Karklinsh, has a consumer-focused vision. He explained why his startup decided to empower traditional manufacturing rather than fight it. “For years, there has been a belief that 3D printing and other advanced technologies would revolutionize footwear by replacing traditional manufacturing. For me as an engineer and designer, the idea of 3D-printed shoes grown like potatoes in 3D printer farms is fascinating. But the market doesn’t move on what engineers or designers think—it moves on what consumers demand. And consumers demand far beyond fully 3D printed ‘potato shoes,’ which are seen just as another trend rather than a revolution.”

To move beyond the trend and establish 3D printing shoes and localized production as a standard practice, Karklinsh explained that consumer demands must be the central focus. “The actual revolution towards localized production can be only achieved by putting the consumer in the center of it and integrating all kinds of technologies and craftsmanship into breakthrough products that fascinate consumers rather than designers,” Karklinsh said.  

LaLaLand and Elastium developed a No-Minimum-and-Maximum-Order-Quantity (No-MMOQ) Hybrid production model, which means brands could launch new designs with as few as one pair, and later reintroduce them through mass production if needed. The hybrid model combines 3D printing and traditional manufacturing, giving them flexibility and scalability without compromising on quality or cost. To learn more about the Orca shoe, visit Elastium’s website here. 

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*All Photo Credits: Elastium