“We aim to offer experiences that are highly unique and personalized, allowing individuals to express their individuality.” Interview with Olivia Cheng & Zixiong Wei, the co-founders of SCRY

From used to apply on prototypes or industrial part, 3D printing has now become a ubiquitous technology, permeating every aspect of modern design, including fashion and footwear. Through the full utilization of 3D printing technology, it has breaks through the current footwear design, creating avant-garde and visually impactful products, which is the brand to be introduced in this issue, a brand at the forefront of innovation in the footwear industry – SCRY.

At the heart of SCRY’s creative process lies a relentless pursuit of innovation, thus creating the brand’s unique “Digital Embryo” technology. With a core philosophy focused on innovation, By leveraging the capabilities of 3D printing, SCRY transforms abstract ideas into tangible realities, blending futuristic aesthetics with avant-garde sensibilities to create products that are as unique as the individuals who wear them. Each pair of shoes is a testament to the brand’s dedication to providing wearers with highly personalized experiences, allowing them to express their personalities through their footwear.

As SCRY continues to explore the possibilities of 3D printing and push the limits of design, it is paving a new path for the footwear industry, redefining what it means to be fashionable in the digital age. With each groundbreaking innovation, SCRY brings us one step closer to a future where creativity knows no bounds and possibilities are limitless.

WEI: SCRY implies seeing into the future through a crystal ball. I have always been involved in innovative shoe-related endeavors, whether in design or manufacturing. The establishment of SCRY stems more from my own vision of the future of footwear, aiming to create a completely new footwear ecosystem. Shoes have always been my passion, and this passion has driven me to become a footwear designer and constantly explore interesting things. Besides passion, I believe that footwear is a complex product that lies between industrial goods and the clothing industry, and it is a typical high-threshold industry. This complexity and challenge have fueled my desire to excel.

WEI: In the early time, my work was influenced by biomimicry in architecture, such as the concept of “multicellular organisms.” By integrating the creation of new materials and machinery closely, the products manufactured are naturally integrated. My design is an exploration of integration, using structural design to achieve different functionalities in footwear. We conducted extensive research and development on production methods and the structure of additive manufacturing for footwear. At the early stages, each phase of development took three to four months to complete, but now, most designs can be rapidly executed within the established framework we’ve developed.

How do you describe SCRY In three words?

Daring, Versatile, Futuristic

Embracing the 3D printing revolution, digital technology has gained immense popularity over the past decade. What inspires you to integrate cutting-edge technology into footwear design? 

WEI & CHENG: The underlying framework of ‘Digital Embryo’ that we created in 2020 has played a significant role in driving the development of 3D printing technology at the product level for integrated additive manufacturing shoes. Essentially, ‘Digital Embryo’ comprise a set of processes—design, modeling, manufacturing, and online marketing—that can be completed within two days to bring a product to market. Since 2018, when we began exploring how conceptual footwear could transition into actual production, we’ve explored various technological pathways of 3D printing.

I was truly excited when the quality reached a level in 2020 where it could be mass-produced rather than just used for prototyping. Consequently, I decided to integrate this technology into footwear design and created many patents as well, opening up a new path for footwear design and manufacturing. The ‘Digital Embryo’ framework is the core strength of our brand, as almost all our footwear is produced using this process. The process is extremely streamlined—once the data ports are connected to the machines, it grows seamlessly like the DNA of a living organism, forming a complete and naturally cohesive whole, imbued with a sense of vitality.

WEI: Under the SCRY ‘Digital Embryo’ framework, we can rapidly prototype and manufacture on demand. In all our products, the fastest turnaround from design to manufacturing for a pair of shoes is just 3 days, with efficiency largely dependent on the design process. This is why we constantly receive collaboration invitations from partners in other fields. Personally, when designing, everyday wearability has never been my primary consideration. Our core focus is on creating new things, new styles, and new trends. Therefore, our experimental aspect tends to be stronger. I believe this is what makes our products unique. Of course, our latest SCRY Zero series, which prioritizes comfort, is an exception. We aim to introduce essential products that better meet people’s daily commuting needs.

The creation of SCRY is highly avant-garde and futuristic but wearable. Can you tell us about how do you achieve a balance between aesthetics and wearability? What is the most consciously considered part of the design/product during creation? 

CHENG: In the creative process, our foremost consideration is how to integrate a futuristic and avant-garde design into wearable products. We aim not to create mere virtual ‘artworks,’ but rather products that offer practical wearable value to people. Our designs are not crafted for exaggeration; rather, they are complemented by our exclusive patented technology structure and visual aesthetics, where design and engineering seamlessly merge. Many of our design languages are shaped by this unique technology of ours. It’s precisely because of our on-demand manufacturing model that we’re not constrained during the creative process, allowing us to truly blend the sustainability of creativity with environmental sustainability.

What kind of experiences and sensations do you aim to offer to the people who wear SCRY’s product? 

WEI & CHENG: Our foremost vision is to provide users with experiences and value that are unprecedented in the real world, rather than just being experienced through visual senses in the virtual world. We aim to offer experiences that are highly unique and personalized, allowing individuals to express their individuality. Those who delve deeper into understanding our brand will recognize our innovative capabilities manifested across various dimensions such as technology, creativity, and sustainable symbiosis. In the future, we also aspire to open up possibilities for even more customized experiences.

The footwear design industry is thriving in the present day. How do you break through the boundaries and create a distinctive brand of your own in the face of fierce competition? 

WEI: It all began with an exploration of new possibilities in the footwear industry, rather than simply aiming to establish a brand. The traditional footwear development cycle is lengthy, involving mold development with high time and monetary costs, placing significant pressure on innovation and experimentation. We aimed to create an alternative pathway to shape the future footwear ecosystem. Therefore, since my time studying Innovation Design at CAFA in Beijing since 2018, I began exploring footwear as a research subject, ranging from sustainable industry chains to artificial intelligence design tools. Instead of entering into direct competition within the traditional footwear market, we charted a different course, creating a new track — integrated 3D printed footwear. The first product we launched in 2020, the SCRY Shuttle, can be considered the world’s first pair of truly wearable integrated 3D printed footwear.

By looking back on the journey since the brand was established in 2020, have you encountered any challenges or obstacles in these 4 years and how did you overcome them? 

CHENG: Time has flown by quickly, our team has been in this entrepreneurial journey for four years. Like everyone else, we’ve faced uncertainties along the way, prompting us to build a resilient and flexible mechanism. Without fixed offline stores, our online retail approach has enabled swift responses to product launches. However, we’ve also noticed a growing desire among consumers to experience products offline. Since last year, we’ve gradually facilitated offline experiences through Pop Up space and collaborations with select stores. In terms of research and development, our SCRY products boast a high frequency of design innovation, presenting significant challenges to our R&D team.

Through continuous testing and experience accumulation, we’ve established unique technological frameworks and structural patents, resulting in a mature digital design and database. On the collaboration front, our flexible workflow and innovative products have attracted interest from various industries. We’ve collaborated with high-end fashion brands and participated in fashion weeks in Paris, Milan and New York. Additionally, we’ve explored collaborations in digital, gaming, media, automotive, exhibitions, and art fields. Each collaboration represents a new exploration and opportunity for growth. It hasn’t been an easy journey, but we’re fortunate for how far we’ve come and remain committed to our ongoing efforts.

What are your perspectives on the future of footwear design? Besides, can you share a bit about the next collection or any future plans of SCRY?

WEI & CHENG: Firstly, personalization will increasingly become an important demand, and our ongoing thinking is based on exploring more possibilities with a sense of balance, avoiding waste, and without sacrificing. In the trend of sustainability and personalization, we aim to offer customized products, whether it’s personalized in style or functionality. We hope to provide a platform for customers in the future, where their feedback, suggestions, and needs can be integrated into our product development, forming a cyclical ecosystem. We launched the comfort serise SCRY Zero in March and opened up our Pop Up Store in Shanghai in April with the new launch, and we have several special collections lined up for release later this year.

We hope to provide a platform for customers in the future, where their feedback, suggestions, and needs can be integrated into our product development, forming a cyclical ecosystem.