Floreon
Ian Wright Floreon
Design it Wright: Floreon's have a range of gifts to give a way to the person who designs Ian Wright's favourite pair of glasses
Former England footballer, Ian Wright has teamed up with 3D printing filament manufacturers, Floreon, to take part in a customer competition and promote the use of greener plastics.
Floreon have challenged the users of their products to design a pair of spectacles for their new partner. Wright’s eccentric style has caught the eye of many football fans, since the Arsenal legend hung up his boots and entered punditry. Now, using a Floreon glasses template, their customers can design Wright’s next pair of spectacles.
The best design will not only see the creator’s product on the face of one of England’s greatest ever goalscorers, but will also be given an Ultimaker 2+ 3D desktop printer worth £1,665. Additionally, they will also win a set of custom made designer pair of glasses or sunglasses, made by Wright’s optician, Bespoke Eyewear, become a Florean ambassador with a year’s supply of their filament reels and a signed copy of Wright’s autobiography.
Second place will win two reels of filament for every month of the year and a signed copy of Wright’s autobiography, while third place will also pick up a signed copy of the book and a single filament reel for every month for half the year.
To mark the partnership between Floreon and Wright, the 53-year-old will himself be 3D scanned and printed. The competition-winning specs will be worn by the 3D model of Wright’s head, if not by the man himself too.
“I am really excited to be part of the Floreon team and involved in this project. I am also excited to be 3D printed,” said Wright. “There have been 3D-printed football boots but as far as I’m aware, no-one has 3D-printed a life-size ex-footballer, so it will be fun to be the first. And I hope it will make people aware that there are alternatives to oil based plastics that are more than fit for purpose, and don’t harm the environment.
“I am delighted to support Floreon. I have a large family, and I am very passionate about creating a better future for them and everyone.”
Floreon is a specially formulated compound, which is added to standard bioplastic, polylactic acid (PLA) to create an innovative material with a sustainable origin and a range of end of life options. It was created from a desire for a greener, safer form of plastic. Dr Andrew Gill, Floreon’s technical director, hit upon the formula for a new type of 3D printing material and in collaboration with the University of Sheffield, has brought the product to the market.