Buying shoes can be a compromise for so many – one foot smaller than the other, off-the-shelf options that never feel ‘quite right’.
Sure, true made-to-measure shoes have existed for centuries—but at stratospheric prices. I’ve previously had custom orthotics made, but the process cost $500 and that was even before the cost of the sneakers.
So why not use 3D printing and AI to solve the problem? Well, that’s what Syntilay is attempting to do – and I got the chance to try it out.
A new breed of shoe?
The company is pairing advanced foot scanning, artificial intelligence, and 3D printing to create shoes designed and built for each customer’s feet—at prices under $200.
The first two models, a slide sandal and a sneaker, are positioned as stylish everyday wear rather than hardcore performance gear.
Both use a soft, flexible plastic (a mixture of nylon and TPU) that feels surprisingly comfortable to the touch, and their aesthetic (which is generated by AI, with nudges from a creative director) leans into the edgier, futuristic direction of modern footwear.
Syntilay CEO Ben Weiss explained how it works: “Our scanning technology collects 5,000 data points and 12 key measurements—everything from forefoot width and instep girth to arch position.
“That data guides the 3D-printing process, creating shoes that truly understand your feet.” Weiss’s partner in this venture is Joe Foster, founder of Reebok.
In and out in minutes
While most will use the smartphone system, where they biometrically scan their feet from a link sent at shoe purchase, I got the chance to try the full experience at the new TM.RW concept store in New York’s Times Square.
The process was fast and intuitive: roll up your pant legs, stand on the Volumental scanner, answer a few questions on a touchscreen.
The Syntilay kiosk at Manhattan’s TM.RW store
In less than two minutes, it was done. The shoes themselves take four to six weeks to produce, so I’ll have to wait before I can say how they feel in daily use.
Currently, this is the only location offering the full scanning process. The company expects to have scanners in a dozen locations in North America and Asia by the end of 2026.
This isn’t Syntilay’s first foray into custom footwear. Earlier in 2025, the company launched a program that builds shoes from smartphone photos and measurements.
Weiss says that initiative has been well-received—only one pair has been returned so far, and the customer quickly received a corrected replacement.
The new AI-driven designs mean people will be looking at the style of these shoes as much as fit.
The Xplorer slide close up
“The Xplorer slide blends classiness and futurism,” Weiss told me. “Its look draws from yacht bridges and sleek boat lines, with patterns inspired by spacecraft art.”
Meanwhile, the Luminez sneaker was generated through more than 100 AI-driven design iterations.
“We started with our creative direction and retrained the model multiple times,” he said. “The result is the most optimized look and fit we’ve ever offered.”
So I’m intrigued to try out the new shoes when they arrive – I’ll report back how they compare with the high-price insoles I’ve had made in the past.
For anyone who’s ever wished their shoes were made just for them, Syntilay is betting that the wait—and the price tag—will finally make sense.
