Tradition + Technology

Giant Stilettos by WhiteClouds

Giant shoes are great attention-grabbers for any setting. Whether at the mall, a tradeshow booth, a museum exhibit, the theater, in front of your business or on the sidewalk these larger-than-life models add the wow factor you’re looking for. They’re crowd-magnets that can give your product branding, social media and marketing a real boost as they create opportunities for the ever-popular selfie. The design possibilities are truly endless and include boots, high heels, sneakers, sandals, dress shoes of all shapes, sizes and finishes. Some even have intricate details like the 3D printed zipper on these high heel boots.

Giant Ruby Shoes Display at Harrods in London

Today’s fabrication technology can turn simple shoe designs into pieces of art using airbrush effects, vibrant colors, and other painting techniques and finishes. Giant shoes like these Ruby Slippers inspired by the “Wizard of Oz” at Harrods in London have been gaining in popularity and are being displayed all over the world. Foam sculptures like giant shoes also make great displays for trade shows and in the office. Some have even taken the opportunity and used giant shoes in selfie backgrounds at experiential museums for taking the ever-popular selfie.

Giant Shoe Galleries

Features and Benefits

Giant Orange Sandal Giant Soccer Cleats and Soccer Ball
  • Sizes – In reality, if you want 6', 10', or 20' tall giant high heels, sneakers, boots, dress shoes or sandals – it is very possible to do. When thinking of that massive, attention-grabbing attraction or promotion model, large shoes make it all happen.
  • Materials – Common materials are foam (very light in weight), but plastic, wood, metal, fiberglass, and combinations are also available.
  • Professional Creators – We have a team of designers, artists, model-makers, painters, air-brushers, sculptors, carpenters, and welders to fabricate those giant shoes with imagination, immersion, and experiential aspects.
  • Finishes – There are many different finishes painted in a standard or custom color with matte or semi-gloss finishes. Even automotive paint finishes can be applied for extremely glossy finishes. Airbrushing of special designs can also be ordered.
  • Strength – Very often giant shoe replicas are just meant to be temporary and self-standing. Other times may require structural components to withstand people climbing on the shoes or leaning against them.
  • Project Size – No project is too large. If you can design it, we can create a physical model of it. If you can't design it, we have a team of design professionals who can. We can work with preparing 3D models from scans, drawings, photos, and even napkin drawings.
  • Capacity – Did we mention, we have 60,000 square feet of production facilities in Utah, including the largest capacity of full-color 3D printing in the world.
  • Technologies – At WhiteClouds, we use many different technologies including Foam Fabrication, Hot Wiring, CNC Cutting, Laser Cutting, Welding, Fiberglass and 6 different 3D Printing technologies.
  • Combination – At times, it makes sense to combine giant shoes with special themed displays or trade show displays. We have the team that can create your shoes that may need to include custom finishes and special features and stands.

Technology and Materials

Giant Wyoming Cowboy Boot Display Giant High Heels Street Art
  • We use foam fabrication technologies such as CNC Cutting, Hot Wires, Laser Cutting, Hot Knifing, and Sculpting.
  • With 3D printing technology, you aren't limited to straight lines and boxes. A 3D printer can easily create detailed, complex shapes. We use six different 3D printing technologies using different materials including sandstone-like, digital plastic, and UV-cured resin. The type of physical end-product determines which material will produce the best results. We can help you choose the material that is best for your project. Resolution on our printers is finer than a human hair. Our color 3D printers can print in full-color (over 750,000 variations of color) for awe-inspiring reality.
  • Our in-house spray booth gives us flexibility in different types and grades of paint and finishing capabilities.
  • Depending on requirements for durability, weather-proofing, temperature, mobility, strength, and flexibility, different finishes for our giant shoes can be used. These finishes may be combinations of painting, air-brushing, flat-to-glossy finishes, natural environment finishes, soft-shell and hard-shell coatings, sealers, and glassing. These can be from latex, acrylic, urethane, polyurea, epsilon, polyurethane, and many others.

Pricing

The cost of giant shoe models is based on the volume of materials (size of the shoes), type of materials, the time it takes to create the 3D design, production labor, and possible installation time and materials, as well as other specific elements unique to the project. Each giant shoe project is bid individually and the best way to determine cost, is to contact us and let us bid your project.

Get a Quick Estimate

  • Description
  • Dimensions
  • Schedule
  • Contact Info

Tell us a little bit about the giant shoes, boots, high heels, sneakers, sandals...

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Outdoor
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Schedule

ASAP
1 to 2 months
More than 2 months

One of our salespeople will contact you right away!


Workflow

Whiteclouds giant shoe creation workflow

Common Questions

Giant Timberland Boot display Giant Men's Two-tone Dress Shoe Display Bloomingdales's Giant Flower Shoe Display Giant Margaritaville Flip Flop Display Giant Adidas Superstar Sneakers Display

Can you use my custom artwork?

Yes. Please send us your file in a vector AI, EPS, or PDF format.

What is the largest giant shoe model you can make?

There is no limit to the size of model. Transportability will be your only concern on an extremely large model.

What features can a giant shoe model have?

Giant shoes can be finished with paint or special strength coatings and even airbrushed. They can also be covered with any special look you might want from organic coverings to special materials. Custom bases or special shapes are also available.

What file type is required if I need to incorporate special fabrication into the project?

We work with all architectural CAD programs and modeling programs including AutoCAD, Revit, Chief Architect, ArchiCAD, Maya, 3DS Max Design, Zbrush, and Sketchup, just to name a few. If you design in 3D, we will start with your 3D files. If you have 2D blueprints, artist's sketches (or even napkin drawings), we can build a model from these as well.

What is the turnaround time for giant shoes?

This is totally dependent on the size of the project. Typical projects can be completed in four to eight weeks. We understand that sometimes deadlines are tight and we can accommodate rush orders in shorter amounts of time.

Can you match our PMS/Pantone colors?

Yes. A $100 paint match charge will apply for each PMS or Pantone match.

What technology do you use for giant shoes?

Several different technologies, individually or combined, are used. These include 3D Foam, 3D Printing, CNC Cutting, fiberglass, laser cutting, laser etching, casting, molding, sculpting, painting, airbrushing, laminating, vinyl printing, and woodworking – all meant to produce highly engaging models that fit your exact needs.

What is the material used?

We match the correct material and fabrication process to your requirements in terms of presentation, size, and transportability. We fabricate in our model shop using different types of foam, wood, fiberglass, metal, resins, and acrylics. We can also 3D print in full-color sandstone, UV-cured resin, plastic, rubber-like acrylic, and nylon. Our giant shoes are typically made with EPS foam, and sometimes with wood. If the shoe is 2 - 3 ft tall and needs extreme detail, we will 3D print the shoe. The possibilities are endless! (We can even add flowers and greenery).

Do you have a question we didn‘t answer? Don't hesitate to contact us at 1-385-206-8700 or sales@whiteclouds.com.

Worldwide Delivery

WhiteClouds has delivered models around the world.

Creation Process for Giant Shoes

Bloomingdale's Heart of Shoe York Giant Shoe Display Giant Sneakers Display

Each shoe is unique. We take into account the design, customer specifications, aesthetics, durability, and usage of the model to determine which technology is best suited to the project. Other important elements include eyelets, zippers, shoelaces, soles, heels, cutouts, and greenery. Giant shoes may be attached or connected to other materials for specific desired looks.

  1. If available, we like to receive a CAD file (drawing file) from our customer. Many times, we will design the file with our team of designers based on requirements from the customer. If giant shoes need to be attached to a base, then some design work is required.
  2. The next step depends on the type of technology required. Most of the time we create giant shoes with EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) foam, so the next step would be to upload the file to the computers connected to our CNC hot wire foam cutting equipment. Once each shoe is cut it's placed into production. If creating extremely large shoes, we may need to glue multiple blocks of foam together. An depending on where you’d like to display the shoe, other fabrication might be needed.
  3. Our foam comes in different densities. The desired finish and design requirements will dictate which density we use. The higher the density, the smoother the foam (and also more expensive). Typically, we use 2 lb. EPS.
  4. Giant shoes are prepared for finish work. They may be glued, sanded, primed, painted, airbrushed, etc. depending on customer requirements. We may need to spray on a protective plastic coating depending on required durability and weather resistance.
  5. If the giant shoes need to be attached to a structure or stand, we then do the necessary work to finish off the project.
  6. The giant shoes are prepared for shipping by either being wrapped/packaged in foam or special shipping containers.
Closeup of 3D printed zipper for giant stilettos

Fabrication Process for Giant Shoe Accessories:

  • Shoelaces - Depending on the size requirements, shoelaces may be built as part of the foam sculpting, 3D printed or with sliced plastic, rolled rubber, rolled fabrics, knitted rounds or special ropes to create the look of real shoelaces.
  • Zippers - Occasionally we will build zippers into the construction of the large shoe. These are sometimes hand-sculpted. If realism is the most important function, zippers will be 3D printed to be able to highlight extreme detail.
  • Heels – Depending on the height of the heel, the heel may be constructed from a combination of wood, fiberglass, and hard-coated foam. There are times when an internal steel structure may be used to reinforce the heel, especially on a high-heel.
  • Stitching – There are several methods to match stitching requirements in the shoe, but the most common is to use filaments, ropes, or other pliable materials to emulate the stitching. Painting and airbrushing can then be used to match the original shoe.
  • Eyelets – Depending on the detailed realism, eyelets can either be hand-sculpted or 3D-Printed to emulate the original shoe. Painting and airbrushing are used to complete the final look of the eyelet.