From the 16th of February until the 7th of August, the Design Museum in London will be holding an exhibition entitled the Brit Insurance Designs of the Year 2011, showcasing the works nominated for the Brit Insurance Design Award, “the Oscars of the design world”. This prestigious award is given to the most forward thinking and innovative designs from around the world, spanning seven categories. Within the fashion category are nominees Naim Josefi and Souzan Youssouf for the Melonia Shoe, a 3D printed shoe which hit the runway last February.
Naim Josefi and Souzan Youssouf are nominated for the Melonia Shoe
Naim and Souzan, of Beckmans and Konstfack design school respectively, collaborated in the creation of the shoe, 3D printing five pairs with Materialise for use in Naim’s “Melonia” collection at last year’s Stockholm Fashion Show. The shoe was designed to be a closed loop, in which a person can go to a shop, have their foot scanned, and have a shoe printed of homogenous, recyclable material. This pair of shoes can then be recycled to provide the material for a new pair when needed, the entire process embodying the concept of “no waste”.
3D printed in polyamide using Laser Sintering at Materialise’s headquarters in Belgium, the Melonia shoe is truly wearable art. Despite its delicate skeletal look, it is surprisingly strong, and as five models were able to prove on the runway, can be functional as well.
Materialise said it is “incredibly proud to have taken part in this project and wishes both Naim Josefi and Souzan Youssouf the best of luck on the 15th of March when the winners of the Brit Insurance Design Award are announced. We encourage people to go to the exhibition at the Design Museum in London to see the Melonia Shoe in person, as well as the other projects nominated for this prestigious award.”
https://youtube.com/watch?v=C5q1n0dUVUo%3Frel%3D0
