Manfredini’s Hi-Tech Shoe Lasts

Italian manufacturer Manfredini specializes in making shoe lasts for high-end footwear manufacturers. These are objects that only those within the manufacturing industry ever get to see; even the most avowed footwear lover probably has no idea they even exist. Now the company’s created a new Modulast, made by CNC-machining both polyethylene and steel. “The steel binary system allows the complete release of the last inside the assembled shoe,” the firm writes, “overcoming the limitations of traditional constructions and enabling greater design freedom.” The company showed this Modulast off on their Instagram, which is otherwise populated with sexy shots of women’s footwear. Prompting the amusing viewer comment, “How does this actually work?”