3D-printed shoe startup steps into $3M to help reduce carbon footprints, localize manufacturing
Summary
He is joined by co-founder and chief creative officer Gaia Giladi, a former associate designer at Hybrid Apparel.The startup pitches a click-to-ship supply chain to shoe brands, where customers can order their shoes and have them made on-demand by one of Hilos 3D printers.The startup points to multiple benefits for the model: faster turnaround times for customers, smaller inventory requirements, and reduced carbon emissions from foreign manufacturing. Most shoe manufacturing is currently done in Southeast Asia.Hilo said revenue is already being generated and its customers include footwear brands like Helm Boots. The company also sells its own branded line of clogs, heels, loafers and sandals, with prices ranging from $225 to $375.The timing of Hilos funding announcement coincides with two factors: an increasing political push toward localizing supply chains and a rising consciousness among consumers regarding the environmental consequences of the fashion industry, Stahl told GeekWire in an email.A host of startups stepped up between 2014 to 2017 seeking to 3D print footwear, Stahl said. There are also modern competitors such as Carbon, which partners with Adidas and raised more than $680 million.The irony is that the investment large brands like Nike and Adidas made in additive manufacturing in that period was what incentivized the hardware, software, and material providers (like HP and BASF) to invest enough R&D into the systems that would eventually be able to support end-use digital manufacturing for footwear, Stahl said.There have also been a number of innovations around the design aspect of 3D printing. For instance, Seattles Glowforge debuted a new AI tool that lets users create artwork based on a written prompt that is optimized for 3D printing.Hilos has set up shop in Portland, regarded as the capital of American shoemaking.