Zazzle has launched a custom shoe platform that allows users to design their own Keds shoes. Those are some of the many shoes that have already been designed by Zazzle users in the picture above. Consumers are able to create unique custom canvas shoes by uploading their own designs, patterns, illustrations, images and text, and then preview their shoes instantly. Users can also embellish their shoe designs with preset colors and patterns. The shoes are embellished and assembled from scratch within 24 to 48 hours, which enables consumers to receive their shoes in one to two weeks, depending upon the shipping method selected. Prices range from prices ranging from $50 to $60.
"We have an incredibly diverse and talented community of designers, and had high hopes that the opportunity to create custom shoes would get them excited," said Jeff Beaver, co-founder and chief product officer, Zazzle. "We've simply been blown away by the response, both the volume and variety of user-generated designs have exceeded our expectations. Some of the most popular themes include art, music, animals and politics, but you can already find pretty much anything. Developers are also taking advantage of the platform - within 48 hours after launch, one blogger created a Google Maps mashup so that you can get a map or satellite photo of your hometown on your new kicks."
Consumers can choose from pre-designed templates here or they can design their own custom shoes from scratch here. Zazzle also allows consumers to become shoe designers and make money by selling their unique designs in the Zazzle marketplace.
Over 30,000 designs have already been created. There's some obvious copyright issues here if people are uploading copyrighted images to use as their shoe designs but aside from that it is a very creative and welcomed feature. Customization is something that is sure to become more widespread in the fashion world.
