PLIMSOLL | 2016 | Bachelorarbeit Produktdesign
Taking a look at how shoes are industrially made today shows a divided picture. On one hand, the shoe industry is at the cutting edge of innovation with 3D-knitting and latest aerospace materials. On the other hand though, the shoes we wear are still made like in the early 1900’s. So many different materials are manually glued and sewed together in countless mounting steps. There are many occasions to simplify.
Plimsoll is a project that explores smarter ways to manufacture shoes industrially. It take injection molding processes that exist in shoe manufacturing, and make them do much more than just a plastic sole. It asked the following questions: What if we could use molding to let a shoe be a single complex injection molded plastic part into fabric? can we make injected plastic bind fabric with fabric, seal fabric, provide reinforcements where needed, and make the holes for lacing?
The result is a shoe that is made with only two materials, one fabric and one plastic. Parts are not mounted with each other but practically manufactured into each other with a special mold that has been developed within this project. No sewing nor glue needed : that’s is what Plimsoll stands for.
BETREUER
PROF Burkhard Schmitz | GASTPROF Andreas Bergmann | DIPL-DES Julian Kempmann