Sport superstars are wearing Nike’s 3D printed shoes
Kylian Mbappé, Léon Marchand and Victor Wembanyama are sporting the new Nike AM 1000 made by Zellerfeld
Check out top French athletes Kylian Mbappé (football, Real Madrid), Léon Marchand (Swimming), and Victor Wembanyama, also known as Wemby (basketball, San Antonio Spurs), all sporting their Nike AM 1000 (AM here stands for Air Max) in French colorways. The shoes, 3D printed through a collaboration with Zellerfeld, were officially launched at Nike’s Breaking4 event in Paris.
Nike debuted the Air Max 1000, its first fully 3D printed sneaker, during the Paris Fashion Week. The event ushered in the future of footwear technology, right in the heart of one of the world’s most iconic cities. The Air Max 1000’s debut represents a bold step into the future of customized, digitally fabricated footwear.
The limited-edition blue Air Max 1000 immediately sparked waves of excitement across social media and within the sneaker community. Fans lined up to get their hands on this futuristic yet wearable pair, a statement of sustainability and progress. The standard edition is available to buy from several online retailers for €479.
adidas has also introduced its own fully 3D printed sneakers using Carbon technology and also featuring laces in newest version. adidas first launched its CLIMACOOL shoes in 2024, introducing a new footwear concept for the brand that leveraged 3D printing to make a single-piece shoe with a lattice structure designed to “mold seamlessly around the foot” and offer 360° airflow.
The idea with CLIMACOOL was to create a shoe that was “made like nothing, feels like nothing, looks like nothing”. The shoe, made in partnership with Gabriel Moses, was also distinctive for its sizing, which as adidas said, broke away from conventional gendered sizing and offered an adaptable fit, along with arch support and integrated heel pillows.
The new CLIMACOOL LACED sneakers continue this tradition of seamless construction with one distinct difference: the laces. From an aesthetic perspective, the 3D printed sneakers are available in an off-white colorway with contrasting black laces. The shoe also features adidas’ distinctive ghost stripes, which seem to be available in either black or monochromatic white.
The shoe itself reportedly takes only 24 hours to 3D print, a process that includes “spinning, baking and compression” using special high-performance polymers. The brand doesn’t specify what technology is used, but we know that previous 3D printed shoes made by adidas (specifically, its Futurecraft 4D footwear) leverage Carbon’s Digital Light Synthesis technology.
Generally speaking, footwear brands are increasingly exploring the use of 3D printing to make high-performance shoes for a number of reasons. As CLIMACOOL demonstrates very clearly, the technology’s propensity for monolithic lattice structures offers unique benefits in terms of airflow and comfort. For another, being able to make a shoe from a single piece—using lattice design to tailor properties like cushioning, density and support—streamlines the production process significantly, not only minimizing cutting and assembly steps associated with traditional sneaker production but also eliminating the need for surplus materials, like adhesives, which make conventional shoes difficult to recycle.
“Additive manufacturing has unlocked new possibilities for footwear creation. In lifestyle footwear the process allows for the creation of highly breathable, integrated fit elements, and soft yet stable underfoot conditioning. Future explorations in performance will allow adidas to create bespoke products specific to athlete needs.” The new CLIMACOOL LACED shoes will become available for purchase from July 15th on the company’s website as well as in adidas stores and selected retailers. The original CLIMACOOL shoes retail for $140.
