Nicholas Unis is a Penn State student that succeeds in bringing his idea from concept to company. He additively manufactured sneakers, slip-on sandals and Birkenstock-style shoes.
Speaking about 3D printed shoes, apart from giants such as adidas, Peak or Under Armour, small companies such as Feetz and students from Poland also distinguish themselves in this niche market.
Back to Unisbrands
Unisbrands (Unis) has been founded after Nicholas Unis worked in a shoe store during his free time when he was still at high school. Nicholas observed the interest of customers in customization and started buying and reselling shoes after adding custom logos.
“He put Nike Air Jordans wrapped with a RiFF RAFF rapper pattern on an Ebay auction, which reached one million dollars, but was forced to end the auction after he received a letter from Nike”, we can read on Unisbrands.
The use of 3D printing
When he started using a 3D printer, he selected specific colors and patterns; however, the 3D printer did not really meet his expectations be it in the printing or in the materials used, that’s why he decided to build his own 3D printer capable of printing a pair of shoes in 3 parts (sole, upper and tongue). A patent will soon be delivered regarding the 3D printer.
The start-up “uses a sizing algorithm to take the length and width of the left and right foot of the customer in order to create a perfect fit. He plans on having a 24 to 72-hour turnaround time from when the order is placed to when the shoes are shipped.” The creator also takes into account that both feet are not exactly the same size hence the measurements.
This is just the beginning for the student who will continue to develop his company after graduation. We already know his strategy includes launching the Birkenstock-style shoes this summer as well as a improving the website and social media campaign.
https://youtu.be/hJWzbgIbbNE
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