Nike Air Max 95
Steps to bring a traditionally manufactured shoe to market:
By the designer:
  1. Create a design brief that includes price, target customer, competitors, shoe concept, and technical details.
  2. Create a visual design brief with sketches and concept renderings.
  3. Create a tech pack with detailed specification drawings, spec sheets, and material maps.
By the manufacturer:
  1. Make shoe patterns, which are the shapes of the fabric pieces that make up the shoe.
  2. If needed, create molds for the outsole and midsole.
  3. Make samples.
  4. Purchase materials.
  5. Prepare materials by inspecting, cutting, marking assembly guide lines, skiving edges, applying logos, embroidery, embossing, knitting, stitching, preprocessing rubber, and more.
  6. Use molds to make natural rubber, synthetic foam, and elastomer outsoles and midsoles.
  7. Assemble the shoe using contact cement, stitching, vulcanization, and a large amount of handwork.
  8. Import the finished shoes, including shipping, customs, and tariff duties.
Nike Air Max 1000
Steps bringing a 3D printed shoe to market:
Based on: https://www.zellerfeld.com/pages/submit-design-v2
  1. Create a shoe design, starting from a sketch and moving to CAD.
  2. Upload the design, where it is verified that it can be printed.
  3. Print a sample for less than $500.
  4. Set the price, product name, and other details.
  5. Release the product to market. Zellerfeld prints and ships orders. Zellerfeld uses two materials:
    TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) and a water-dissolvable support material, either PVA or BVOH. It also uses custom-built 3D printers to manufacture its shoes.
Advantages / Disadvantages