At the intersection of tech, design, and sustainability stands Sam van Dalen, a 22-year-old designer from Amsterdam who’s not just reimagining what sneakers look like, but how they’re made, worn, and reborn.

“I’ve been making sneakers since I was in high school,” says Sam, who started by customizing shoes by hand and got inspired by innovators like The Shoe Surgeon and adidas’s early 3D-printed soles, before falling in love with the precision and possibility of 3D printing. “It really all clicked when I realized I could design soles digitally and print them myself, without needing expensive molds or factories.”

From Passion to Prototype

During his time at ArtEZ in Arnhem, Sam’s obsession with sneaker culture evolved into a full-blown mission. Inspired by breaking visual stereotypes of eco products, Sam began developing SPN-TEC, a fully recyclable, modular sneaker system built with zero glue or stitching.

“The footwear industry is incredibly wasteful,” he explains. “So I wanted to create a sneaker that’s not just recyclable, but also repairable, customizable, and actually wearable.”

Each shoe is printed in parts, sole, foam, heel, upper, allowing worn components to be replaced individually. Everything is assembled using a clever locking system inspired by workwear buckles, so the shoes literally snap together like a puzzle. Even the color combinations are modular: print a red toe cap today, swap it for black tomorrow.

3D Printing Meets Deep Sea Vibes

Though fully functional, Sam’s designs aren’t your average eco-sneakers. They look futuristic, sometimes alien, with spiky textures, layered forms, and bold color combos. One model, shown at Dutch Design Week, drew unexpected comparisons: “A lot of people said it looked like coral or a deep-sea creature,” he recalls. “It wasn’t intentional, but I love that it sparked imagination.”

And yes, he wears them. “I wore the black and yellow pair all day during an event. They held up really well, and if the sole wears down, I can just reprint it.”

Sustainability Without Preaching

While SPN-TEC is rooted in sustainability, Sam’s not interested in greenwashing or guilt marketing. “A lot of sustainable products look boring, or worse, like they’re trying too hard to tell you they’re sustainable,” he says. “I want people to like the shoe first for how it looks. Then they find out, oh, it’s recyclable too. That’s a bonus.”

Each sneaker also includes an NFC chip, linking to a web portal with details on the model’s materials, production date, and recycling stats. Users can even download replacement parts to print themselves, true open-source fashion.

Beyond the Academy

Since graduating in 2024, Sam has continued refining his designs under his own label, SNIRP, a blend of studio, brand, and personal mission. “It’s not just a label slapped on a T-shirt,” he says. “I want to show that it’s one person behind the product, making it, refining it, rethinking it. And SNIRP is also a way to grow my sneaker collection, as all proceeds go towards the development of them.”

He’s even developing a new 3D printer that works with raw material pellets instead of filament, enabling him to recycle directly from failed prints or worn-out parts.

The Vision Ahead

So where’s all this headed? Ideally: mass production, with purpose.

“Mass production isn’t the problem. What we produce is the problem,” Sam says. “If a company wanted to produce a million of these shoes, that’s a million fewer that end up in landfills.”

While he dreams of working with a major footwear brand to scale the idea, he’s not letting go of creative control. “If I partner with someone, I want to stay involved. It’s my passion project. I still have so many ideas.”

In the long run, Sam envisions his own studio-store hybrid, “a mini factory,” as he puts it, where customers can walk in, scan their feet, choose their colors, and come back a few days later to pick up a shoe tailored to them.

“That would be the dream,” he smiles. “A totally new kind of shopping experience, for a totally new kind of sneaker.”

From end of May Sam van Dalen will be showing some of his work at the exhibition Sneaker Evolution at the Schoenenkwartier in Waalwijk.

Image Credits: Reflawn

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