One small step for AI, one giant leap likely for India's footwear market

Reebok co founder in talks with factories in India to manufacture curated footwear

Imagine scanning your smartphone, and later slipping on a pair of shoes designed specifically for your feet, using artificial intelligence (AI).

 

Joseph William Foster, the 90-year-old co founder of the iconic shoe brand Reebok, is now teaming up with 25-year-old entrepreneur Ben Weiss to market what they claim are the world’s first commercially made AI-designed footwear.

 

Under the aegis of their new company Syntilay, which is currently valued at over $6 million, the team has initiated talks with factories and suppliers in India to manufacture and sell these shoes.

 

“We have pivoted into a piece of history — to AI design, 3D printing, and scanning your foot to get the size and manufacture accordingly. I think the Indian market is growing so fast. Right now, Europe and America are not moving. It is the biggest market in the world. It’s not too long before we launch in India,” Foster told Business Standard.

 

Interestingly, there’s an Indian connection behind Foster’s latest venture. Bengaluru-based independent designer Kedar Benjamin is the design director of these first commercial AI-designed shoes. The product was launched in January in the US and Europe, priced at $150 per pair.

 

Though companies like Nike and Adidas have been reportedly providing 3D-printed shoes, they are available only in limited editions.

 

There are firms like Zellerfeld, Vibram, and ShoeAI, along with the British Footwear Association, that are reportedly working on similar products.

 

“A lot of concepts are in the market. Many brands are in the process of unveiling their products. We are fully out there for the customers,” Weiss said.

 

Syntilay’s revolutionary plan allows the consumer to ditch the traditional shoe sizes, allowing them to order a perfectly fitted product by scanning a smartphone.

 

“We are ready to send our products to India now. I have already met with some factories in India to discuss local manufacturing. We have received samples from several factories. It depends on the cost factor. (India) is an incredibly important market. We already have an idea of what is working in India through our design director,” Weiss elaborated.

 

The shoe, with its open-toe design, is considered a slide.

 

“We came out with a design direction inspired by spaceships in the Star Wars series and paintings by industrial designer Syd Mead. I worked on the model to make it manufacturable. The Syntilay slide is the first commercially available AI-designed shoe,” Benjamin said.

 

According to reports quoting Syntilay, the company is employing the generative AI programme Midjourney, through which the company has created the shape and design of the shoe.

 

Following this, the design team refines the AI-generated image and produces sketches that define the shape of the shoes. This is followed by designing the 3D model using another AI tool called Vizcom. In the final step, generative AI is used to create patterns and textures on the shoe exterior.

 

Foster reckoned that it will revolutionise the global footwear industry, which is pegged at $400 billion in 2024, and poised to cross $574 billion by 2032.

 

“The customer is going to be the king in design and product choices,” he added.