A bird's skull inspired the hollow heel of these 3D-printed shoes by Dutch fashion designer Marieka Ratsma and American architect Kostika Spaho.

Ratsma and Spaho used the shape of a bird's cranium for the front of the shoe, with the tapered beak as the spike of the heel.

The lightweight and efficient structure of the hollow skull allowed the shoe to be 3D-printed using less material.

Other 3D-printed shoes we've featured on Dezeen include 'invisible' and mirrored designs by Andreia Chaves and a bespoke pair by Marloes ten Bhömer.

See all our stories about shoes »
See all our stories about 3D printing »

Photography by Thomas van Schaik.

Here's some more information from the designer:

The Biomimicry shoe is the result of a unique collaboration between Dutch fashion designer Marieka Ratsma and American architect Kostika Spaho. The idea for this shoe highlights the aesthetics and the shape of the bird skull, along with the characteristics of the lightweight and highly differentiated bone structure within the cranium. Such structure requires less support material, resulting in optimal efficiency, strength and elegance. Nature has been the main source of inspiration for the making and shaping of this shoe.

By looking at nature in a different way, she can open our eyes to ingenious systems and ways of life. Nature can inspire us towards inventive designs and productive, successful collaborations. Also for fashion, nature can be a great inspiration, especially for the use of materials and smarter constructions. Fast developing techniques such as 3D printing can help us by giving the possibility to approach nature’s shapes even more closely. Nature functions as no other in the use of sources, collaborations and bundling forces. The insight that nature gives us can be used for a new way of approaching design.