Beyond the Shelf: How a 2023 Concept Shoe Helped Rethink Footwear Manufacturing

In 2023, at the ITMA textile technology exhibition in Milan, Decathlon, together with HP and Italian machinery manufacturer Lonati Group, introduced a conceptual athletic shoe that aimed to rethink how footwear is made. The shoe featured a 3D printed sole, a knitted upper, and most notably, no glue. Designed to be easily disassembled and recycled, the prototype combined digital manufacturing techniques to reduce complexity, waste, and environmental impact.

Two years later, this shoe did not reach mass production. However, the ideas behind it still resonate, and in many ways, they continue to influence how brands think about sustainability, automation, and the future of footwear design.

Rethinking Footwear: A Prototype Built Around Materials and Process

The concept shoe showcased a unique integration of additive and textile manufacturing. The sole was printed using HP’s Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) technology with BASF’s Ultrasint TPU01, a material that provides flexibility, durability, and recyclability. Meanwhile, the upper was produced using Lonati’s industrial XT-Machine, which knitted the structure with precision and minimal waste.

Crucially, these two components were not glued together. Instead, they were structurally integrated, making the shoe easier to disassemble at the end of life and enabling better material recovery. This is still a challenge that most mass-market footwear struggles with today.

Why This Still Matters Today

Back in 2023, this prototype arrived at a time when global manufacturing was facing significant shifts. Rising logistics costs, raw material volatility, and energy concerns were pushing brands to rethink supply chains. For Decathlon, a company operating in over 40 countries, bringing certain aspects of production closer to end consumers and reducing dependency on complex global assembly lines made strategic sense. This shoe was not just an exercise in material science. It was a response to real-world pressure:

• Local manufacturing to reduce shipping and lead time

• Automated digital production to reduce labor dependency

• Eco-design to meet regulatory and consumer expectations on sustainability

From “Product” to “System”: Sustainable Design at Its Core

The most important thing about this concept shoe is that it was not just about changing the look or materials. It was about rethinking the entire design-to-disassembly lifecycle.

By choosing recyclable TPU, removing glue, and simplifying the assembly process, the design team created a blueprint for closed-loop product development. These principles have since become more prominent in the industry, especially as consumer demand for transparency and environmental accountability increases.

According to SmarTech Analysis, the 3D printed footwear market is projected to reach $4.2 billion by 2025, with hybrid manufacturing methods like knitting plus printing expected to play a major role.

What Happened After 2023?

Although this specific concept has not reached commercial shelves, the ideas behind it have influenced other product launches. In late 2024, HP and Brooks Running released the Exhilarate-BL, a performance running shoe featuring 3D-printed midsoles optimized for cushioning and rebound. Similar themes like customization, lightweight structure, and digital manufacturing continue to surface across brands such as Adidas, On Running, and ECCO, all of which are investing in sustainable performance design.

The Decathlon concept may not have been a market-ready product, but it served as a proof of concept, helping to shape the next generation of footwear innovation.

This was never just a shoe. It was an attempt to question how things are made.

Even though the prototype never went into production, its core ideas of using structure instead of glue, digital processes instead of manual labor, and sustainable materials instead of disposable ones have become more relevant than ever. In hindsight, the shoe stands as an important experiment not because it sold, but because it raised the right questions at the right time.

As we move deeper into 2025, and more brands explore circular design, local production, and digital fabrication, we may look back at this shoe not as a product missed, but as a mindset that helped push the industry forward.

Sources: 3dprint.com | additivemanufacturingresearch.com | hp.com

Images: 3dprint.com | 3dnatives.com