What Under Armour’s New 3-D-Printed Shoe Reveals About The Future Of Footwear

For years, we’ve been hearing about how 3-D printing was going to revolutionize the fashion and footwear industry. Unless you are a major sports star with a Nike deal, though, these “revolutionary” 3-D-printed sneakers have been largely absent. The closest we’ve seen to consumer products were United Nude’s 3-D-printed pumps, which were designed more for the shelf than the human foot.

This month, Under Armour unveiled the Architech, a performance trainer with a 3-D-printed midsole that has been designed to help athletes stay stable during strength training. Unlike other 3-D-printed footwear, you can actually buy a pair of Architechs, at least if you get in there early. But as the Architech shows, we’re still a long way from 3-D printing shoes at scale. Here’s why. Read more at Fast Company.