Syntax is a modular 3D-printed shoe built almost entirely from TPU. Instead of assembling many different materials with glue, the shoe uses variations in hardness, geometry and internal structure to make a single material behave in different ways. Soft, flexible parts sit alongside rigid structural ones, each printed for a specific role.
The shoe is assembled through mechanical connections including sliding rails, snap fits and slots. This keeps the construction visible and allows individual components to be separated or replaced. The modular system reduces the number of materials involved without reducing the different functions expected from a shoe.
While the construction is highly systematic, the form was developed more intuitively. Through many iterations, the silhouette was gradually shaped into something less rational and more organic, allowing the technical system and the exaggerated form of the shoe to exist alongside each other.
