London, UK – 14 May, 2024 – Vivobarefoot announce the launch of the first commercially available limited edition VIVOBIOME radical scan-to-print circular barefoot footwear. Their mission is to reconnect people to nature and their natural potential – starting with feet.
VIVOBIOME is a scan-to-print circular footwear system. A bold departure from complex, wasteful analogue manufacturing towards a simpler, low waste, connected system fit for the future. A digital eco-system that will soon be made-to-order, made-to-measure, made locally and made to be remade.
Their first shoe is the Hybrid Wing which retails at £260 and comes in two colourways – Obsidian/Origin Red and Obsidian Origin Blue. These designs are limited editions with only 1000 pairs in each colourway.
INTRODUCING THE HYBRID WING- £260.00
(Limited 2000-pair drop)
Available now in the UK only in OBSIDIAN - ORIGIN RED (1000 pairs only) & OBSIDIAN - ORIGIN BLUE (1000 pairs only)
- Join (sign up) to the biome community online
- Access password protected VIVOBIOME launch site
- Pay your deposit to reserve your place in the print queue
- Complete your personal foot scan. While not yet wholly bespoke (that’s our next step), with Hybrid Wing, you can control and adjust your preferred fit – length and width – via our VIVOBIOME fit visualiser, which gives you a precise representation of your feet, footwear, and fit. Choose wisely. In the end, the choice is yours!
- Once you confirm your fit preference, your Hybrid Wings will go to print in queue order, and with a final payment moment triggered, there’s no turning back – you’re going to be taking your next steps in the future of footwear. Delivered between 6 weeks and 4 months depending on which batch you’re in and sent direct to your home from production.
VIVOBIOME = BIOMIMETIC
"BIO" (meaning life or living organisms) and "MIMETIC" (meaning to imitate or mimic). This essentially means "imitating life" or "mimicking nature." Employing computational driven biomimetic design principles to mimic nature's design strategies and optimised designs based on natural principles.
SCAN - DATA-DRIVEN FIT
Scan your feet with your phone and select your preferred fit in the VIVOBIOME fit visualiser. Over 100,000-foot scans have computationally driven 38 data-driven size options, so you can match your feet by width and length to your preferred fit.
PRINT - MANUFACTURED ON DEMAND
Selective Laser Sintering is a powder-based 3D printing technology that uses a laser to fuse materials together to create a durable, high-performance barefoot outsole. This additive manufacturing process enables you to make only what you need when you need it, which also helps to reduce waste significantly.
KNIT - LOW-WASTE UPPER
The circular knitting process can create a 3D foot shape in one seamless upper using a single process. The upper is then steamed onto a data-driven last to activate the yarns and make a dimensionally stable upper, which minimises waste and enables incredible barefoot feel and performance.
ASSEMBLE - LOCAL PRODUCTION
Finally, man and machine unite with an automated assembly process complete with a gluing robot. This connected approach increases speed, accuracy, and efficiency, paving the way for the realisation of our locally made VIVOBIOME production cell in the near future.
