HILOS

HILOS (HILOS, Inc.) is a Portland, Oregon company working at the intersection of footwear design, digital manufacturing and commercialization. Its original product was a "click-to-ship" supply chain for shoe brands: modular footwear components are produced with 3D printers using thermoplastic polyurethane powder, post-processed with AMT technology, and combined with leather or knit uppers. The approach replaces the conventional process of assembling a shoe from roughly 65 parts across 360 manufacturing steps around a last, and allows a purchased pair to be remade and resupplied within about 72 hours from US-based production rather than from Southeast Asian factories and distribution-center stock. Soles use TPU made from 80% recycled material, which the company says is fully reusable.

The company has since positioned itself as a software studio that "understands matter," encoding manufacturing knowledge into design tools. Its platform includes a Library, Studio Canvas, 3D Studio, Compose, Production and Gallery modules, and it has introduced HILOS GHOST, a sketch-native design platform with an AI assistant intended to move a design from 2D sketch through 3D to print-ready geometry fitted to a last. An internal AI Lab builds footwear-specific models on top of frontier models, combined with proprietary knowledge and patented 3D production methods. A private beta of INTERPLAY is open to a limited group of designers.

HILOS states it works with brands including Alexander Wang, Under Armour, Ralph Lauren and Steve Madden, as well as independent designers and labels such as Unknown Union, Ancuta Sarca and Untitlab; earlier coverage named Helm Boots as a customer. Designers whose projects are showcased on its platform include Ian MacPherson, Sarah In-Young Park, Elliott Reynolds and Ignulak.

Founding story

HILOS was founded in July 2019 by CEO Elias Stahl and creative director Gaia Giladi. Stahl previously served in the Israeli special forces and was VP of Product at Handshake, where he built the product vertical and launched the company's first product line; Giladi is a fashion designer who previously worked with brands including BCBGMAXAZRIA, Hybrid Apparel and St. John Knits.

Business model

HILOS operates as a software and manufacturing platform for footwear. It licenses/sells design software and provides on-demand production: brands use its digital toolchain and 3D-printing process, and Hilos manufactures and ships product after a customer order rather than building inventory in advance. Alongside brand work, the company has sold its own branded footwear line of clogs, heels, loafers and sandals priced between $225 and $375. It was described in 2023 as already generating revenue.

Revenue comes from brand customers using its on-demand production and design platform and from sales of its own branded footwear line priced at $225-$375; the company reported generating revenue as of March 2023.

Traction

By March 2023 the company was generating revenue, worked with named and unnamed footwear brands under confidentiality agreements including Helm Boots, and had access to "dozens and dozens" of 3D printers with each printer capable of more than 500 pairs per month. Its about page lists work with Alexander Wang, Under Armour, Ralph Lauren, Steve Madden, Unknown Union, Ancuta Sarca and Untitlab. Cumulative disclosed funding reached $5 million as of the March 2023 round, and the company reported eight employees.

Latest developments

HILOS has shifted emphasis to design software, introducing HILOS GHOST, a sketch-native design platform with an AI assistant available for desktop and tablet on a request-access basis, and opening a private beta of INTERPLAY to a limited group of designers. It also promotes an internal AI Lab building footwear-specific agentic models on top of frontier models using proprietary knowledge and patented 3D production methods.