The Climacool’s complex lattice structure makes the shoe breathable all around the wearer’s foot. | Image: Adidas

When Adidas’ launched its Climacool shoes last September, the 3D-printed slip-ons featuring a form-fitting and breathable lattice structure were only available in very limited quantities to those who joined the company’s Confirmed platform. Next week that’s going to change as Adidas will be launching the Climacool shoes globally making them available to everyone starting May 2nd for $140.

The Climacool will still be available for purchase through Adidas’ Confirmed platform which offers a mobile app, but also through select Adidas store locations in New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. Although the company is based in Germany, it hasn’t announced if the shoes will be available in international locations for in-store purchase.

Adidas has been experimenting with the use of 3D-printing in its shoes for well over a decade, but so far it’s only been used for specific components with a limited rollout. In 2017, the company released its Futurecraft 4D, but only the shoe’s cushioned mid-sole was manufactured using 3D-printing and initial availability was limited to just 5,000 pairs.

The company still sells what it now calls “4D shoes” with 3D-printed mid-soles, but its Climacool are distinct in that the entire shoe is created using 3D-printing. Adidas hasn’t confirmed the exact process used to make the shoes aside from saying they’re “created through additive manufacturing and engineered entirely through cutting-edge 3D printing technology.” But the Futurecraft 4D’s midsole relied on a 3D-printing process called Continuous Liquid Interface Production where liquid polymer resin is turned into a solid material, layer by layer, using ultraviolet light.

Although it may seem like a marketing gimmick, there are many advantages to manufacturing shoes this way. The shape and size of the shoe can be customized for individual buyers ensuring a perfect fit (Adidas is not offering this for the Climacool) and the design can be easily refined over time by just modifying a 3D model.

The process also allows shoes to be created with unique properties. The Climacool shoes’ lattice structure makes them both lightweight and breathable while still offering important features like arch support and soft heel pillows, and a comfortable fit without any seams. For the Adidas 4DFWD running shoe first introduced in 2021, the company engineered a 3D-printed mid-sole with a lattice structure that collapses in a specific direction under the weight of a runner, helping to direct their movement and energy forwards with every step.

Adidas’ competitors like New Balance and Nike have also been experimenting with 3D-printing, but availability of the Nike Air Max 1000, made almost entirely using additive manufacturing, has been very limited. The Climacool’s larger rollout next week will be a big step forward for this unique approach to making shoes.