Balena, a materials science company dedicated to developing advanced biodegradable polymer materials for a more sustainable fashion industry, today announced a partnership with renowned designer Kitty Shukman to create a unique line of footwear with natural kicks.
To create the unique 3D printed slides, Shukman used Balena’s BioCir, the fashion industry’s first fully compostable and biodegradable elastomer. This collaboration is a milestone where fashion, technology and environmental awareness meet, ushering in a new era of sustainable design. Kitty’s artistic vision for slides and Balena’s expertise in bioplastic materials combine to create a truly remarkable design that is circular yet striking.
The idea behind the product:
Based on the ‘root’ concept, Kitty wanted to seamlessly integrate the upper branches and stems of the slide into the outsole, mimicking the organic wrap of roots underfoot. She intentionally designed the left and right shoe to have different functions, reinforcing the playful notion of roots growing organically on top of the foot. 3D printed slides invite us to take a deep breath and find solace in the roots that keep us rooted.
Through this unique footwear concept, Balena is looking to push the boundaries of 3D-printing to advance the adoption of compostable, biodegradable and simultaneously durable materials in the fashion industry. 3D-printing has the potential to revolutionize the materials landscape for fashion – one of the world’s most polluting industries. Innovative designers like Kitty have begun to realize the promise of this burgeoning technology as well as the clear ‘End-of-Life’ enabled through the pioneering of next-gen materials like BioCir™ in order to create new designs which are beautiful, fashionable, and circular from end-to-end.
Balena’s in-house lab translated Kitty’s design into a tangible reality, showcasing the immense potential of its BioCir material in 3D-printing – as previously demonstrated in other major manufacturing processes like injection moulding and extrusion – to help generate sustainable footwear.
Company on the partnership
“Partnering with Kitty to create a truly remarkable and circular product has underlined the magic that happens when you put the right material in the hands of the right designer,” said David Roubach, Founder and CEO of Balena. “Our combined creative vision has taken the dream of sustainable, scalable 3D-printing another step forward, and we hope to see leading fashion brands take a step in the same direction in the near future.”
The BioCir manufacturing process is highly scalable, allowing for collaborations and seamless integration across diverse industries and all available manufacturing methods. Crucially, products crafted with BioCir undergo a responsible end-of-life cycle through a biological recycling mechanism. This entails complete decomposition and biodegradation in an industrial compost facility, safely returning it to the earth – a circular process essential for a sustainable future.
Kitty’s comments on the new product
“I continually strive to strike a balance between functionality, sustainability, and style, and working with the Balena team to envision this new design has helped me imagine a day when our fashion industry becomes truly circular,” said designer Kitty Shukman. “I hope to see 3D-printing continue to leave its mark as a unique, bold, and sustainable medium in the fashion industry on its way to becoming climate neutral.”
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