Cinderella and the 3D Printed Adidas Trainer

Graphite AM were delighted to receive a call from DJ Fat Tony, who was organising a charity auction for the Albert Kennedy Trust, an LGBTQ+ Youth Homeless Charity. His star-studded supporters were asked to reimagine an Adidas Trainer that was to be auctioned off to raise money for this fabulous charity. Little did we know that Kate Moss had been asked to be involved, and had designed an Adidas Samba trainer with a Cinderella twist. With the charity auction looming, Graphite AM and Fat Tony went to work on selecting a 3D Printed material to mimic a glass Adidas Samba “slipper”. “For the level of detail involved in the slipper, including the delicate laces, and to make the trainer look like glass, the solution was clear to us,” said Peter Gallagher from Graphite AM’s Project team, “We needed a technology that offered excellent resolution, a large build platform and a fast turnaround.” The solution was a Clear SLA resin called Watershed, manufactured by DSM. Watershed offers extreme detail, and the parts and models produced look like glass. This was a great fit for Kate and Fat Tony, and Graphite pulled out all the stops to programme the build that evening. 24 hours later, the trainer had been de-pipped and was ready to be picked up. The laces presented a considerable challenge, but Graphite’s experienced technicians took extra care, knowing the stakes were high as we had to get the slipper to the ball. A little lacquer helped bring the Adidas Samba Slipper to life and the feedback received has been tremendous.   We are pleased to announce that all the reimagined Samba trainers have now been sold, raising considerable funds for the Albert Kennedy Trust. As we understand, Kate Moss loved the look of the Samba slipper, and the shoe was featured in Vogue magazine, Forbes magazine, and numerous online reports.