New York Post87%
AI-designed sneakers promise the perfect fit — so do they live up to the hype? 86%
By McKenzie Beard0%
7/20/2026, 12:29:00 PM
Keywords: 3d Printing, Artificial Intelligence, Exclusive, Shoes, Wellness, Health, Fashion And Beauty
BS Summary: This article contains 29 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Authority, Hasty Generalization, and Anecdotal, with Attempt to Sell a Product or Service as the most egregious example at 33% saturation with 213 hits. Analysis detected 1,586 faulty-reasoning hits from 645 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 79.3% and a BS Rank of 86% (2,667 of 18,815 articles). This article is worse (more manipulative) than 85.80% of the article peer group.
As the wellness world races toward hyperpersonalization, the latest frontier is landing at your feet.
A new wave of footwear companies is using artificial intelligence and 3D printing to create shoes tailored to each customer’s unique foot shape — promising a level of comfort, support and performance that traditional mass-produced sneakers can’t match.
“The era of one-size-fits-most is coming to an end,” Jennie Chen, chief operating officer and cofounder of FitX, which makes custom-made running shoes, told The Post.
In some ways, the footwear industry is returning to its roots.
“For most of human history, shoes were custom-made.
It was only recently, in the 1800s, that shoes came in standardized sizing,” said Ben Weiss, founder of Syntilay, which leverages AI and 3D printing to create highly personalized shoes and slides.
While 3D printing had a moment in the 2010s, the technology never fully took off in consumer footwear, hindered by high costs, material limitations, slow manufacturing and complaints about comfort.
But advances in AI are helping companies overcome those hurdles by optimizing designs, speeding up production and reducing waste — while also making customized footwear more affordable.
Syntilay’s AI-designed, 3D-printed footwear starts at $119.
At FitX, consumers can snag a pair of custom kicks for the “founding runner” price of $199.
Other players are pushing prices even lower: Zellerfeld, which manufactures 3D-printed footwear from independent creators and major brands, offers styles starting at $79.
At Fitasy, precision-fit footwear costs $260 — still well below some premium standard-fit offerings from industry giants like Nike and Adidas.
The best part?
For all these companies, you don’t need to visit a specialty store to get fitted.
All you need is a smartphone camera and about 10 minutes.
“By printing a shoe around your exact foot morphology, you are actively addressing the constant, daily micro-stress that ill-fitting shoes can put on your joints,” Wang said.
“For anyone in the wellness community, it’s an opportunity to bag those small wins in their daily lives.”
Like many people, I’ve spent years buying shoes based on a number on a box and hoping they would work.
I’ve bought pairs that looked great but left my feet aching after a long day, only to eventually retire them because my high arches and wide feet made them impossible to wear comfortably.
“Shoes that don’t fit correctly may cause a variety of problems, such as tendonitis, blisters, ankle swelling and knee, hip and lower back pain,” explained Dr.
Rock Positano, a podiatrist and co-founder of the Non-Surgical Foot and Ankle Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery.
That doesn’t mean everyone needs custom shoes.
Many people can wear traditional footwear comfortably, he said, as long as it fits properly, provides heel support and leaves enough room for the toes.
To my surprise, I made it through the event without a single blister, and my feet felt noticeably less sore than they typically do after a full day of walking.
With some new shoes, I’m constantly aware of pressure points or places where the material rubs or pinches.
With Fitasy’s, though, I mostly forgot I was wearing a pair of experimental sneakers — until someone inevitably asked me what they were.
Whether AI-designed shoes become the next big thing or remain a niche option remains to be seen.
But after months of wearing mine, it was hard not to question the idea that millions of people should all be squeezing into the same standardized shapes.
As consumers increasingly look for ways to invest in preventative health, the fast-growing market suggests customized footwear could soon become another piece of that puzzle.
“People often neglect the importance of their feet until they develop a problem,” Positano said.
“Foot and ankle pain may not be life threatening — but it certainly is lifestyle threatening.”
Analysis
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