This article was taken from the March 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Francis Bitonti doesn't create clothes: he gets algorithms to do that for him. The Brooklyn-based designer plays with mathematical models and 3D printing to create spectacular accessories that would never come out of an Italian fashion house. Take his pixelated high heels, generated using John Conway's Game Of Life -- a mathematical model for cell division. The heels are printed using a Stratasys machine; the graduated blue-green hues are achieved by blending different filaments.
Bitonti, 31, originally created the shoe for Adobe, but is now working with footwear manufacturers to release the design. "We're focusing on 3D-printing the wedge, combined with a more traditional upper," he says. "It's more comfortable that way."
This month, Bitonti will release a line of algorithmically designed womens' accessories such as bags, earrings and cuffs. "We haven't even begun to see the range of materials we will create with 3D printing," he says. "The majority of the material problems we face right now are software problems."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
