On the occasion of Milan Design Week 2026, Kornit Digital and D-house laboratorio urbano, the Dual Innovation Hub of Pattern Group, present Foot/Print EXP, a project conceived by designers Sangi and Materia, exploring new possibilities in footwear design through the intersection of digital printing technology, material research, and design.



Presented in the Isola Design District Milan, the project unfolds through a collection of five footwear prototypes, developed through a process that integrates design, technological innovation, and product development.

Within this context, Kornit’s digital production technology plays a central role, not only as a production process, but as a true design tool. Through its sustainable, on-demand approach, Kornit enables direct intervention on materials and surfaces, overcoming the limitations of traditional techniques and unlocking new possibilities for formal and material experimentation. Among these, Kornit’s XDi stands out as a unique digital printing technology that allows designers to create tactile and textured effects directly on fabrics. At the same time, the use of white ink expands the visual language, enabling high definition prints on dark and coloured textiles with greater depth and contrast. “Returning to Milan Design Week for the fourth year with D-house, we continue to explore how digital technology can expand the language of design. With Foot/Print EXP, we see digital printing evolve beyond production into a true creative tool, enabling designers to experiment directly on materials, explore new aesthetics, and bring ideas to life with unprecedented flexibility. This collaboration reflects our ongoing commitment to innovation, sustainability, and to shaping new possibilities for footwear and design.” - Giovanni Pizzamiglio, Roll-To-Roll Segment Director, Kornit Digital



The installation unfolds as an immersive journey across two environments. The first space introduces visitors to a Mars inspired landscape, where surfaces, colours, and materials create an evocative, suspended atmosphere. The textures generated within this environment are translated onto the footwear, becoming a defining visual and conceptual element of the project. According to Pietro Franceschi, Sangi, and Francesco Saverio Matera: “As a research and development centre in the footwear sector, we approach this project as a territory of exploration - an opportunity to rethink every phase of the design process and push Kornit technologies beyond their conventional use, transforming them into tools for imagining new possibilities, both aesthetic and, above all, functional. Foot/Print EXP was conceived with the ambition of speaking to the entire industry, reaffirming the value of collaboration between brands and suppliers as a driver of innovation. It is precisely through this shared energy that it becomes possible to go beyond known boundaries - and, in our case, to symbolically push even beyond Earth’s atmosphere.”

The journey continues into a second room conceived as a laboratory, where materials, processes, and development phases are brought into focus. Here, the experimental dimension becomes explicit, revealing the transition from research to product construction.

Francesco Botto, Innovation Development Manager at Pattern Group, adds:

“Projects like Foot/Print EXP fully embody the vision of Pattern Group: building an advanced supply chain where innovation, research, and manufacturing are in continuous dialogue. Within this framework, D-house positions itself as a laboratory for applied experimentation, capable of connecting diverse expertise and transforming technologies into concrete solutions for the industry. Collaboration with partners such as Kornit allows us to explore new design languages and contribute to shaping more flexible, responsible, and future oriented production models.”



The project is based on an integrated production supply chain in which technology and manufacturing interact in a synergistic way. The fabrics used for experimentation are sourced from Beppetex, which supplies cotton canvas, and from Colombo Industrie Tessili, specialised in technical fabrics. Leather materials, provided by Conceria Enterprise, also make it possible to explore the application of Kornit printing on leather intended for the footwear industry.

The printing of the materials is carried out by Tintoria Finissaggio 2000, which employs Kornit digital printing technology to transfer visual experiments onto fabrics and surfaces. This enables the translation of design concepts into concrete applications, while introducing a more flexible, sustainable, and on demand oriented production approach.

Foot/Print EXP positions footwear as a field of experimentation where technology and creativity meet, highlighting how digital printing can transform not only product aesthetics, but also production models - introducing new possibilities in terms of flexibility, customization, and sustainability.

www.dhouse.org

www.kornit.com