Shelly

​How would you describe Sh3lly? A 3D printing consultant? or a brand? or both? Or something else?

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I initially wanted it to be a brand that specialises in 3D printing, creating whatever you need within the parameters of the machine. In some ways a 3D printing consultant, you could come to me and I would discuss with you whether this was the right method of production for it and then move forward or not with the design. But then over time, I cared more and more about shoes. It kept feeling like every project that I would do was just taking away from more time to design shoes. So now that’s really my focus.

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How did you get into 3D printing?

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I studied industrial design at Pratt with an interest in footwear, I’ve always felt that footwear carries a lot of cultural significance. I originally wanted to get into cobbling, but the school didn’t have the facilities, and my more experimental ideas, like a plant-based shoe sole, were dismissed instantly. I eventually dropped out and worked as a scenic painter and production assistant, but realized I wanted to pursue something more creative and hands-on. 

 

The turning point was when I tried to 3D print a shoe sole, the print estimate cost as much as a low-end printer. I decided to buy the printer instead, using the money I would’ve spent finishing school, and I’ve been building my craft with it ever since.

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What has helped you develop your skills in 3d printing/making shoes?

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There’s this guy called Kidar Benjamin (His Instagram is Ben Geometry), he’s been making really advanced stuff for years before anyone really got into it. His course in Blender was really important for me to learn about just how the digital element translates to the physical manufacturing, mostly in the sense of preparing something digitally to be ready in the real world.

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In what ways does 3D printing appeal to you as a designer?

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For me it's just the most effective way to make edits, I can kind of refine infinitely through the digital process, and then I only have to produce a couple times and know what's going on rather than put in a whole kind of production process to find out you don't like something. I think I prefer that methodology in the way the world works right now. I see it as a less loud and more low-key design process. Sometimes I will sit with a design I have spent two months working on, to only make it and I hate it once it’s made. So it’s extremely convenient for that to only cost me 30 bucks than $3,000. 

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What are you working on now?

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This is some of the stuff I’ve been working on recently. I've been obsessed with Zanotti and old Louis Vuitton silhouettes, with weird straps everywhere. I’ve been working on using different colourways as well. My friend Miles, who's a Parsons thesis student,  pre-ordered a 3D margiela silhouette shoe, and he was the only person that asked if it could be done in another color, in pink specifically. It was such a crazy choice and I honestly wouldn't have thought of it, I have to give him credit for that. That inspired me to experiment with more colors. But my main priority has been trying to make the shoes as functional and comfortable as possible. My shoes have variable density in the bottom and the top. The outsole is thicker than the upper in order to make it stronger. As visually people can be thrown off by them, ensuring they are comfy and fit properly as a shoe is super important to me.

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What materials do you use? And where do you get them from?​

 

I use a company called Recreus. And they're a material manufacturer in Barcelona or in a small town north of Barcelona. They partnered with another company called balena I presented after them in the conference in Barcelona. They make compostable and bio-based material, they made a filament that's degradable and goes in the same process that you use to make conventional footwear.

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Are they recyclable? 

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With a little addition, you can recycle it back into itself. Typically you will need to add a partially virgin material, like unused, in order for it to effectively behave like it did before. There is a machine which lets you grind up the shoe and turn it back into the material again. I think enabling the process to be cyclical is a great way to stop it from being as wasteful as other footwear production.

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You've done a talk in Barcelona at Footwearology Lab. What was it about and how did this opportunity come about? (How has this experience changed your perspective on your work?)

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I personally think that Barcelona or Europe in general is more accepting of innovative ideas, I feel that there's a lot more willingness to try than there is in America. There's this company called Footwearology in Barcelona and it's run by this really awesome lady named Nicole Van Enter. I think she's Dutch but she lives in Barcelona full-time and runs this school. Well it’s a combination of a school, lab and a print farm. They have in-person and online courses, I think it’s one of the only complete resources available in the world right now with actual sustaining information for learning how to make 3d printed stuff. 

 

Barcelona is one of the leading cities in footwear and printing right now. They have tons of facilities that are making architectural elements with nozzles that are an inch wide, creating walls for storefronts. I just think that their mentality towards design is dope, just accepting that a wall could be printed, or like a cup could be injection molded or silicone coated- I don't know, I just think trying different stuff out is why it's so appealing to me.

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How does music inspire your work?

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I find that I’m only really designing whilst listening to music. So it’s crazy seeing something I’ve made, worn by an artist I listen to. Even if it's someone close to me who has made music whilst I’m designing shoes, and then they wear those shoes after, It’s like a dual creative process. I don't have any music experience or anything but it's just cool to be around that kind of atmosphere. I feel like it contributes so much to what’s going on, to what people want to wear.

 

​That’s interesting you say that, I’ve seen some upcoming UK rappers (Fimiguerro and YT) wearing your shoes in shoots and music videos. How did this come about?

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Yeah they wore it, the guy who put me on to them was a stylist from London @justshavedmyhead. Initially, he wanted me to make shoes for Sinn6r. I didn't even know who he was to begin with but, it was really cool to see that he made dope music. Two stylists told me that Fimi and Teebo wore it, but even when I paused and looked, I couldn’t tell if it was mine or not! I think it's really funny that I couldn't tell. But they told me they credited me so that's cool.​

 

Finally, who do you want your shoes to attract?

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I want to reach both people invested in fashion, and people who aren’t super opinionated on fashion. Everyday shoppers-like someone picking up clothes from Walmart- are just as important to reach as fashion enthusiasts who obsess over every detail. I want to design for that middle ground. I admire how Nike Air Force One and Crocs have become universal, kind of how we’ve seen with Salomons and the wave of walking shoes which have crossed over into fashion culture while still serving their everyday purpose. They manage to attract separate audiences, yet feel authentic to both. That’s the kind of reception I’d love for my shoes to have.

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10/04/2025​​