10/09/2024
Share
With the restructuring strategy for the period 2021-2025 and a vision to 2030, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) has a variety of activities to position its image and content towards a Multidisciplinary and Sustainable University. UEH students are oriented to become global citizens acting for sustainable development.
With the desire to contribute to the strategic development of UEH, a student group made efforts to research and apply the knowledge and the skills acquired to launch environmentally friendly shoe product lines, applying 3D printing technology and recycled plastic materials that are safe for the environment. SENONIKA was born based on the SEM (Sustainable Economy, Society and Environment) management model, ensuring that it exceedingly meet customer expectations in terms of product quality, social integration and environmental responsibility.
3D Printed Shoes: Green Innovation, Sustainable Future
SENONIKA strives on the green journey
According to statistics from Business Insider, more than 23 billion pairs of sneakers are produced every year. Of these, approximately 300 million pairs are thrown away every year, and each pair takes an average of 30 to 40 years to be fully decomposed. With the increasingly serious environmental pollution and increased awareness of climate change, consumers around the world are looking for sustainable alternatives to traditional products. The fashion industry, known for its huge amount of waste and polluting production processes, is not an exception to this trend. Therefore, the ‘sustainable fashion’ movement has become a strong voice.
In this context, a group of dynamic UEH students have initially made breakthroughs with a unique, environmentally friendly 3D printed shoe project. Specifically, the shoes have various sizes, designs, and colors to meet personal preferences, and the main material used is environmentally friendly: TPU plastic.
More impressively, the life cycle of each pair of SENONIKA shoes is designed with an optimal lifespan, which can be used for up to 3 years - a quite impressive number compared to the average lifespan of traditional shoes. This means that the amount of shoes thrown away into the environment is significantly reduced, contributing to reducing waste and protecting natural resources.
The journey of 3D shoes goes beyond: when the shoes have completed their mission, they can be returned to SENONIKA. With the recycling system, SENONIKA will turn old shoes into raw materials to create new shoes on demand. This not only helps reduce waste but also creates a closed loop, saving resources and energy, and minimizing inventory in the footwear industry.
Breakthrough in using AI to "tailor" each customer
Image of a SENONIKA shoe
Unlike having to choose from a few available shoe sizes, SENONIKA 3D printed shoes bring a completely new experience. AI Art technology optimizes design time and produces quality sketches through AI-applied software listed as Mid Journey, Leonardo, Microsoft Design (Copilot), etc. Through AI, SENONIKA can immediately design a 2D sketch with prompts to create sample shoe models and to directly edit them.
Every foot has its own unique characteristics, and 3D printed shoes allow us to create a shoe that fits perfectly to every curve and every angle. This not only ensures maximum comfort but also helps minimize the problem of shoes being too loose or too tight, thereby, improving the user experience.
Customized styles
Having diverse designs and colors
With 3D printing technology, owning a unique pair of shoes with a strong personal identity has never been this easy. Instead of being limited by the models available on the market, SENONIKA 3D printed shoes allow you to freely create, turning your unique ideas into reality. From choosing colors, patterns, to their shapes, everything can be flexibly customized. After selecting and customizing, the 3D model slicing software will take the necessary printing commands from the CAD model and save them to a print file, which is then transmitted to the 3D printer to print the product.
SENONIKA shoes have a unified 3D mesh structure without weak points listed as seams, glue or different materials, making them highly durable.
SENONIKA - Not just a pair of shoes but also a message
3D printed shoes guiding users to a green lifestyle
Owning a pair of SENONIKA shoes is not just a style choice but also a statement of green living. In an era dominated by fast fashion, mass production and wasteful consumption have caused serious consequences for the environment. SENONIKA shoes are born to guide customers to a more sustainable future.
Every pair of SENONIKA shoes created is geared towards customization while still ensuring that it contributes to reducing fashion waste, protecting natural resources and promoting a clean manufacturing industry.
SENONIKA's startup journey from idea to reality
SENONIKA is, currently, being incubated at the UEH Institute of Innovation Startup Incubator and has achieved an important milestone by entering the Top 10 Finalists of Vietnam Youth Startup - Startup Wheel Student Round 2024. This achievement not only affirms the efforts of the SENONIKA team but also opens up new opportunities for the project to further develop on its startup journey.
UEH Institute of Innovation Incubator hopes that, with the support and assistance of the community, SENONIKA will continue to promote the potential and creativity of young Vietnamese students, contributing to the development of a sustainable fashion industry as well as changing the fast fashion habits of Vietnamese people.
Founder of SENONIKA at Vietnam Youth Startup
News and photos: UEH Institute of Innovation
