Syntilay Launch Pickleball Recovery Shoe With NFL Star Terrell Owens
As we continue to see the sneaker industry explore the possibilities of footwear design through 3D printing, new brands are starting to throw their shoes in the ring. Footwear startup Syntilay launched at the top of 2025 with AI-designed slides and clogs, and now the brand are stepping into the performance side of things with their new pickleball recovery shoe known as the TO RESET.
Speaking with Syntilay founder Ben Weiss, he gave us the breakdown on why pickleball players need a recovery shoe, and how the TO RESET’s design is specified to the sport. ‘Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, but it also places unique demands on the feet. Players spend extended periods making quick lateral movements, rapid starts and stops, pivots, and repetitive impact on hard court surfaces,’ says Weiss, ‘Those movements create concentrated pressure and fatigue in specific areas of the foot that differ from many other sports’.
In order to combat the stress on these pressure points, with a specific focus on the heel, the sole structure was engineered to disperse pressure across a broader area and provide a smoother transition through each step. If you’re wondering what the TO stands for in the silhouette name, it’s the initials of NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Owens, who has become increasingly active in the pickleball community, and provided his feedback to help perfect the design and recovery features of the shoe. Based on Owens’ athlete-driven insights, 3D-printing powerhouse Zellerfeld and footwear designer George Saxon partnered with Syntilay to bring the TO RESET to life.
Landing in five distinct colourways – ‘Oat’, ‘Black’, ‘Lilac’, ‘Stone’, and ‘Yellow’ – the low-cut slip-on silhouette features an intricate upper composed of wavy-styled lines, Syntilay branding on the heel, and Owens’ ‘Prototype81 logo on the midsole and outsole. The honeycomb-traction pattern underfoot contains uniquely shaped pods to support those aforementioned pressure points. ‘It's built to help players reset after competition, recover from the demands of the game, and get ready to do it all again the next day,’ says Owens.
Given Syntilay’s AI and 3D-printing capabilities, the brand’s digital scanning technology allows for each athlete to have the recovery shoe adjusted to the specific shape and size of their foot. The Syntilay TO RESET is available now via the brand’s in all five iterations.
Curious to learn about other independent brands that are exploring 3D-printed designs? Check out our in-depth interview with Jaylen Brown on his 741 performance brand.