A MANUFACTURING process that can print you a pair of bespoke shoes could put an end to ill-fitting footwear and help usher in an era of mass customisation.

The tailored shoes are built layer by layer using a form of rapid 3D printing called selective laser sintering, in which a laser fuses together particles of a nylon-based material (New Scientist, 4 June 2005, p 26).

Initially the system will be used to make shoes for professional sportspeople such as British Premiership soccer players, says Greg Lever-O’Keefe, creative director and co-founder of Prior 2 Lever (P2L), the London-based company launching …