Speakers’ Corner gives you a preview of the voices you’ll hear at upcoming PI events, straight from the people shaping fashion and footwear.
In this edition, Alexander Zar, CEO of Lalaland Production & Design, shares how advanced manufacturing is reshaping footwear — from mono-material innovation and circularity regulation to why teams need to design into new technologies, not bolt them on later.
1) What’s the biggest shift you’ve seen in footwear design or development over the past year?
Brands are becoming more open to alternative production methods and non-traditional manufacturing models to address cost, speed, and sustainability.
2) What excites you most about the intersection of craft and technology right now?
The ability to eliminate multi-material constructions and move toward mono-material footwear that is fully recyclable, easier to process at end of life, and significantly lower in recycling cost.
3) What’s one challenge in digital product creation that still keeps you up at night?
Digital creation shouldn’t be viewed as a replacement for designers. The real challenge is helping teams embrace it as a powerful new tool that enhances creativity rather than threatening it.
4) What innovation do you think will define the next five years of footwear?
The convergence of 3D printing, 3D knitting, and 3D co-molding—ideally using the same material platform across the entire product.
5) What’s the most underrated capability or mindset teams need to build today?
A deeper understanding of available technologies—and how to design into those technologies while respecting their benefits and limitations.
6) If you could wave a magic wand and fix one industry bottleneck, what would it be?
Onshoring mold-making for supercritical foam systems to reduce costs and democratize production at smaller volumes.
7) What’s one misconception people have about digital design or 3D workflows?
That they will replace human creativity and eliminate jobs, rather than augment skills and unlock new design possibilities.
8) How are sustainability and circularity influencing the way you design or source products?
California’s SB 707 will force brands to rethink design, sourcing, and end-of-life strategies to continue operating in the largest U.S. market. Mono-material footwear will be central to future manufacturing.
9) What does great collaboration between design, development, and manufacturing look like to you?
Educating design teams to build for circularity, local-to-global production, and on-demand manufacturing—rather than relying solely on blind forecasting.
10) What’s one lesson you wish you’d learned earlier in your career?
Never stop innovating, even when everything is working. Industry volatility rewards those who anticipate the future before it arrives.
11) Do you think AI will replace or empower footwear designers?
AI will empower designers and expand what’s creatively and technically possible.
12) Is the future of product creation more human-led or data-driven?
It will be a hybrid—human creativity guided and accelerated by data.
13) What’s overhyped right now in the footwear innovation space?
Supercritical midsoles and additive manufacturing are often oversold as universal solutions, when they don’t always address real production bottlenecks.
14) What’s the best example you’ve seen of digital tools actually improving creativity, not killing it?
AI-assisted lattice slicing that dramatically speeds up iteration without replacing the original design intent.
15) What’s one piece of advice you’d give to a brand trying to modernize its development pipeline?
Invest in scalable 3D knitting, additive manufacturing combined with co-molding, and robotic automation.
16) Favourite shoe of all time – and why?
Elastium Orca: a mono-material shoe that combines future-facing technology with modern aesthetics.
17) Tool you couldn’t live without?
Supercritical TPU foam co-molding systems.
18. One word that sums up where the footwear industry’s heading next year?
Performance-driven advanced manufacturing.
19. The most inspiring project or person you’ve worked with recently?
Steven Smith - an exceptional designer with deep technical and material knowledge.
20. Finish this sentence: In 2026, great footwear design will be…
Design that seamlessly integrates future technologies into products that are functional, desirable, and emotionally compelling.
To hear more from Alexander on advanced manufacturing, mono-material innovation, and what it really takes to design into new technologies, join us at Stride USA where Alexander will be joining the panel 'The Rise of Onshoring: Transforming the Footwear Industry'
