Elastium and LaLaLand Unveil Orca, a Scalable 3D-Printed Running Shoe

3D-printed footwear is no longer a novelty, but few products truly deliver on technology, performance, and commercial viability. In early 2025, Elastium and LaLaLand launched the Orca running shoe, built with a hybrid production model and proprietary printing technology. This release signals a shift from “concept shoe” to “market-ready product.”

The shoe is more than just wearable. It's customizable, scalable, and designed from the ground up with structure, material science, and manufacturing logic in mind. It may be one of the most technically complete 3D-printed performance shoes released to date.

Proprietary Foam and FIDEM Technology: Printing Structure as Function

The Orca’s midsole is made from Elastium’s proprietary 3D-printed foam, a material engineered to deliver over 75% energy return, significantly outperforming conventional EVA or PU materials. Instead of traditional foam molding, the midsole is printed using HP Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) technology, forming a finely tuned lattice that balances shock absorption, support, and lightweight structure.

What powers the manufacturing process is Elastium’s in-house FIDEM system. This pellet-based 3D printing method allows for the direct use of TPU pellets, eliminating the need for pre-processed filaments. This improves efficiency, reduces material waste, and lowers production costs.

With FIDEM, designers can precisely control the geometry and density of different zones in the sole, turning every part into a performance-driven structure. This is a strong example of how 3D printing supports functionally optimized design in athletic footwear.

No-MMOQ Hybrid Model: Solving the Customization vs. Mass Production Problem

One of the major challenges in 3D-printed footwear is scaling. It’s easy to produce one-off prototypes, but difficult to mass-produce efficiently. Elastium addresses this with a No Minimum and Maximum Order Quantity (No-MMOQ) hybrid production model. The approach focuses on 3D printing on high-impact components like the midsole and upper, while relying on traditional manufacturing for other parts, such as the outsole.

This allows for on-demand production and mass customization without the high overhead usually required for large-scale footwear manufacturing. The Orca features a 3D-printed TPU foam midsole, a textile upper reinforced with printed TPU elements, and a molded outsole. The result is a well-balanced, modular design that supports both customization and commercial scaling.

The choice of materials reflects performance priorities. TPU is known for its rebound and durability, while the knit upper offers breathability and adaptive fit. Together, they create a lightweight, responsive, and comfortable shoe suitable for both casual wearers and performance runners.

From Virtual to Physical: LaLaLand’s Digital Layer

LaLaLand, a digital fashion studio based in Amsterdam, contributes to the project through an advanced digital visualization layer. Their AI-powered interface allows users to preview a customized 3D version of their shoe before ordering. This adds not only an interactive experience, but also a level of confidence and engagement rarely seen in footwear retail.

With expertise in digital avatars and virtual garments, LaLaLand bridges virtual aesthetics with physical production. This collaboration is an example of how digital-first brands can influence and co-create tangible, high-performance consumer products alongside material and hardware innovators.

A New Manufacturing Logic

What makes the Orca stand out is not just the shoe itself, but the replicable system it represents. It combines data-driven design, functional material printing, and scalable hybrid production into a model that could easily be adopted by other performance brands.

It challenges legacy manufacturing processes and offers a new direction for brands interested in real, wearable 3D-printed footwear. As additive manufacturing becomes more common in consumer products, models like this will likely form the blueprint for how personalization, performance, and production efficiency can co-exist.

The Orca may not just be the next step in footwear innovation. It may be the start of a new foundation.

Sources: 3dprintingindustry.com | 3dnatives.com

Images: manufactur3dmag.com | 3dnatives.com