A unique step into the future of footwear

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Renowned Danish shoe brand ECCO partners with Dassault Systèmes to launch a Data-Driven Customized Footwear Experience: a unique step into the future of footwear, now on display for the first time.

The desire for perfect fit, perfect comfort and ultimate performance has been at the heart of footwear design for centuries.  ECCO, a world-leading brand of footwear and leather goods, and its Innovation Lab (ILE) have collaborated with Dassault Systèmes’ FashionLab to develop a pilot footwear customization project named QUANT-U (quantified you).

 

For the first time, individual bio-mechanical data is combined with in-store additive manufacturing to create customised silicone midsoles, quantified by the wearer. The unique service takes place within only a few hours, and is today showcased exclusively at ECCO’s experimental shoe store W-21 in the heart of Amsterdam. The pilot experience will be available to the public for a limited time, in April 2018.

 

 

QUANT-U is an intuitive three-step process based on real-time analysis, data-driven design and in-store 3D printing. Three core technologies have been developed with and provided by ILE’s strong partner network:

 

1. Real-time Analysis 

A combination of anatomical scan and sensor data builds a unique digital footprint. In only 30 seconds, 3D scanners determine the individual orthotic fit. Wearable sensors build an accurate representation of how the wearer moves in the environment.

 

2. Data-driven Design 

Bio-mechanical data is interpreted to create a custom midsole, which is the functional heart of the shoe. It plays a key role in the performance and comfort of footwear. The digital configuration for the midsole is generated using machine learning and structural simulations. The result is an augmented pattern, quantified by the wearer.

 

FashionLab is Dassault Systèmes’ technology incubator dedicated to the use of 3D design, simulation and collaboration applications in consumer goods and retail.  ILE joined forces with Dassault Systèmes to develop a powerful and innovative self-learning system based on unique algorithms. The cloud-based 3DEXPERIENCE platform with CATIA applications interprets bio-mechanic data into geometries for 3D printing. Generative designs are validated through advanced simulations to ensure superior functionality for personalized consumer experiences.

“This experiment is particularly eloquent, as shoes are closely connected with our personal perception of comfort, and it demonstrates how mass-customization is today a strategy that can be concretely implemented and achieved, thanks to the cloud,” says Jerome Bergeret, FashionLab director at Dassault Systèmes.

 

 

3. In-store 3D Printing 

Within a few hours, the customised midsoles will be materialised for selected ECCO shoes. Two years of research has proven that replacing the standard Polyurethane midsoles with 3D-printed medical grade silicone can tune its inherent properties: visco-elasticity, durability and temperature stability.

 

 

“With QUANT-U we are now combining future technologies in order to create 3D-printed customised comfort for you.”

says Patrizio Carlucci, the Head of Innovation Lab ECCO.

 

 

This 3D print footwear project is disrupting the consumer goods industry as it is pushing the boundaries of product customization and the consumer experience. It demonstrates the potential for 3D-based technologies and additive manufacturing solutions for fashion businesses of all sizes.  Success is possible by putting customers at the very center of the innovation process.

 

 

 

“Dassault Systèmes technology opens a variety of fashion business opportunities for the near future – they just depend on the imagination of designers, manufacturers and retailers. It’s critical to understand that products are no longer enough to conquer markets: they need to develop great experiences that respond to and anticipate customers’ expectations”, says Jerome Bergeret, director of the FashionLab at Dassault Systèmes.

 

WATCH the Video!

 

Learn more about Quant-U project >

Discover other projects from Innovation Lab ECCO >

Read more about Dassault Systèmes in Consumer Goods and Retail >

 

 

 

 

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Lauriane Favre

Lauriane Favre

Lauriane is currently Marketing Director for the Home & Lifestyle Industry at Dassault Systèmes. She took over this role in 2016, after ten years of work experience at Dassault Systèmes in various Marketing and Communication positions. Prior to this role, she spent four years in charge of the Communication for the FashionLab by Dassault Systèmes, the company’s technology incubator dedicated to the fashion industry. She holds a Master in Management with a special emphasis on Marketing. Passionate about fashion, digital technology and sustainable innovation, she creates and delivers inspirational content for various communication channels. She is also in charge of developing strong relationships within the home & lifestyle ecosystem.