Another Miss America pageant has come and gone and for the third year in a row, Miss New York is the proud owner of the coveted crown.

But aside from the sparkling crown, there was another piece of fashion that caught our attention and that was the shoes that Miss Georgia, Maggie Bridges, proudly wore on stage.  In case you missed it, these weren’t just your average pageant shoes; in fact, these shoes were 3D-printed! That was enough information to get us excited!

So, we decided to get a better look at these 3D-printed shoes and we want to tell you about what we found out!

During the “Show Us Your Shoes” procession that happens every year, contestants vying for the title of Miss America show off their fancy footwear that honors their respective home state.

Maren Sonne, Jordan Thomas and Julia Brooks, all Georgia Tech industrial design students, worked together to invent these innovative shoes for Miss Georgia. Through the usage of a laser cutter and 3D printer, this inventor trio created shoes that featured an intricately-detailed laser-cut grille with 3D-printed headlights, a laser-cut black and gold pattern on the heels and not to mention 3D-printed wheels that are equipped with excellent detail on the tread.

What was the inspiration for this design? The design of this 3D-printed shoe is based on the Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech, the 1930 Ford Model A Sport coup that is the official mascot of Georgia Institute of Technology’s student body.

All in all, four weeks and $400 is all that it took for this group of inventors to turn a $60 pair of wedges into a 3D-printed masterpiece.

Here is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of this innovative invention!

Copyright Inventionland 2014

Sources:

https://www.cnet.com/news/miss-georgias-custom-heels-flaunt-3d-printed-flair/

https://www.3ders.org/articles/20140831-miss-georgia-maggie-bridges-3d-printed-shoes-miss-america-show-us-your-shoes-parade.html

Media:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7i0TVPe2fM