Prior2Lever (with United Nude)

This work was a 12-month LDA-funded collaborative project with Prior2Lever, a sports footwear start-up company combining design and podiatry with 3D direct manufacturing technology to develop custom fit and design sports footwear for elite athletes, resulting in the launch to market of the “assassin” football boot. My role was to explore novel surface decoration strategies to give the sole unit the required aesthetic appeal that such a high value application required, and to advise on the overall product aesthetic design. This was a progression of my research into mass-customisation, and the opportunities offered by direct 3D manufacturing to produce individualised, functional parts without the need for tooling. This new manufacturing paradigm emerged from Rapid Prototyping (RP) technologies which allow layered manufacturing of 3D objects directly from a CAD file.

While some RP technologies allow colour parts to be produced (3D printing), laser sintering which involves high temperatures is not, as yet able to deliver surface texture mapped images. Subsequently, post-manufacturing techniques for finishing and colouring the parts were explored, such as vacuum dye-sublimation. As a result, a number of designs were developed for the launch.

This work situates my practice between craft design practice (engaging with the aesthetic possibilities offered by digital tools) and engineering design practice (using digital tools to derive design from optimised structures and materials). My work looks at the combination of these in their relationship to the body and the decorated surface. The “assassin” boot is subsequently being trialled with a female England player, and a male Manchester City and Danish international player.