Jumping Feet First Into Future

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A feat of technology has become technology for feet at a West Hollywood shoe store.

Left Shoe Co. recently rolled out a 3-D scanner that takes detailed images of a person’s feet, which helps the store build a custom shoe.

Patrons put on a sock sewn with a grid pattern and step on a platform where a rotating camera takes a series of photos from different angles, one foot at a time. The composite images are then used to create a 3-D computer model, using the same motion-capture technology that’s been a mainstay of big-budget motion pictures such as “Avatar.”

Gordon Clune, owner of the West Hollywood shop, licensed the Left Shoe name and technology after he saw the scanner at Left Shoe’s Helsinki headquarters, where the store’s owner used it to order him a custom pair of loafers. When the kicks arrived, they fit perfectly and Clune knew he wanted to bring the technology stateside.

Left Shoe uses the 3-D images to determine the volume of each foot, which Clune said can vary greatly from left to right. That information helps the shop recommend a style best suited to a foot’s shape. Computer models are then sent off to Left Shoe’s manufacturer in Portugal, where cobblers use them to craft the custom contours of each shoe, which start at $395 a pair.

Clune said the scanner has been a hit with customers since it opened in June. The data from all the images has also given him some insight about the feet that track into his West Hollywood shop.

“There’s a huge variety of feet type in America, probably because of the different ethnic backgrounds,” Clune said. “The feet in Helsinki don’t have that much diversity.”

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