Pending Form : Inflatable
LEARNING FROM VENTETE’s DESIGN JOURNEY
Welcome to the first edition of Pending Form, a new series where we explore innovations and discoveries from outside the world of footwear design. In this ongoing investigation, we spotlight creators, makers, and engineers whose work is quietly reshaping industries and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. These new inventions, born from curiosity and a desire to improve, offer novel perspectives and ideas that could inspire the next big leap in footwear.
First up is VENTETE, the London-based Inflatable Air Technology brand reimagining how we interact with and produce consumer goods. By developing a unique, high-precision approach to inflatable structures and manufacturing, VENTETE challenges conventional design processes, offering new ways to think about materiality, functionality, and form. As we continue to dive deeper into these new categories, we’ll begin to envision how these concepts can shape the future of footwear. The ongoing learning process will manifest in tangible prototypes and physical samples, each one a step forward in our research. By weaving these insights into our perspective of the footwear world, we aim to open doors to new possibilities and spark meaningful discussions along the way through our Discord community. Let’s see where this journey takes us…
Design innovation rarely happens in a straight line. For VENTETE, it unfolded over a decade of experiments, material failures, hand-welded prototypes, and hundreds of physical tests - not in a lab, but in a draughty South London studio powered by determination and the enjoyment of a challenge on the edge of possibility. At first glance, the aH-1 Helmet might look like a sleek reimagining of performance headgear. But beneath its clean lines lies an entirely new manufacturing methodology - one invented by necessity, engineered from the ground up, and refined through an exhaustive, highly iterative design process. This isn’t just a collapsible helmet. It’s a working prototype of a manufacturing future where inflatable, high-performance structures are no longer science fiction.
Rather than outsourcing innovation, VENTETE built it in-house. From their earliest explorations into material fragility and membrane tension, to developing a novel chamber-stacking and RF welding system, they’ve turned inflatable geometry into a high-precision craft. And after 10 years, hundreds of prototypes, and over a thousand drop tests, they didn’t just arrive at a finished product - they created an entirely new platform for building complex, high-performance wearable systems.
"3D printing was amazing for ideation, but it wasn’t reliable for safety certification. We moved toward high-tenacity fabrics because they could handle the impact stress."
The story begins at The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, UCL. Alongside pursuing a PhD in architecture Colin Herperger (CEO & Co-founder), Steven Pippin and Steve Davies were also separately experimenting with inflatable 3D-printed geometries. “Everything was drawn in 2D with a prediction of what it would become in 3D. It was all kind of crazy. You move a node by 1mm and the entire thing shifts. You’re basically working with design witchcraft” Colin explains. The research focused on pushing the limits of SLS 3D printing to create inflatable ultra-thin membrane structures. Early versions of the helmet were sprayed with automotive clear coats, used to hold air despite the inherently porous structure of the printing technology.
Necessity pushed the limits of what was thought possible. "They said you could only 3D-print at 0.6mm thickness. I convinced them to try 0.2, with a double laser sintering process on each layer." This was innovation at the margins, done not in state-of-the-art facilities but with improvised machinery and stubborn persistence. But holding air wasn’t enough. The helmet needed to pass impact certification. That meant exploring technical textiles - aramids, high-tenacity nylons, and eventually RF-welded composites. The team rented an RF welding machine, moved it into their makeshift studio, and began what would become a nearly decade-long cycle of prototyping, testing, and refining.
At one point, they were close to giving up. The structures were too fragile, the models too complex. "We almost stopped the project. We knew we could make a collapsible helmet, but it would need a change of materials and process." says Patch Perez (Head of Technology). But that moment of doubt became a turning point. Instead of abandoning the idea, they pivoted towards developing multilayered fabric structures, eventually landing on a triple-layer TPU assembly that could easily pass multiple drop tests. And the results were not just functional - they were beautiful. "We were trying to figure out a new version and only had this blue translucent roll of material lying around. So we used it and suddenly realized what different colourways could do." The white version, for example, reveals internal geometric traces left by tooling when hit by sunlight, producing a dynamic and unexpected aesthetic. "It’s very three-dimensional. In the sunlight, it changes completely. At night, it glows like a beacon."
When they began transitioning away from 3D printing into textile welding, it marked a turning point. "3D printing was amazing for ideation, but it wasn’t reliable for safety certification. We moved toward high-tenacity fabrics because they could handle the impact stress." To weld them, they had to rig up tools for heat control and pressure application, learning on the fly. "No one taught us how to weld fabric to this tolerance. We learned everything ourselves."
Each iteration was its own journey. "We were making one, drawing the second in CAD, and cutting the third. You’re constantly working on a version you know is already outdated, but it’s the only way to keep the process moving." Welding operations per helmet reached nearly 500. With every change came new tooling, more cost, and the endless question: is this better than the last one?
“Honestly, the product is the story. The iterations, the accidents, the tools, the freezing workshops… all of that is what makes this helmet real. That’s the story we want to tell.”
The challenges weren't just technical. In the early days their original workspace had no heating, unreliable power, and lacked the stability required for consistent welding. Despite the hardship, there was an almost meditative precision in the work. "In 10 years, my favorite part was those early welding days. You had to be so focused. It taught you lessons in precision I’d never experienced before."
Eventually, they developed a new method for stacking and welding chambers that had never been done before. Each helmet consists of 11 chambers, constructed from two sides and three layers of fabric. The challenge was in connecting them three-dimensionally in a way that allowed for even airflow, strength, and flexibility. They engineered copper and brass tooling capable of welding specific nodes with pinpoint accuracy. "We didn’t just make a helmet. We made a manufacturing system that didn’t exist."
The weld process itself is a feat of precision. “We had to design a system where airflow passed through each unit in a chain. That's where the node welding system came in. Interestingly, much of the design happened through trial and error, rather than predictive modeling. "We tried using simulation software, but it couldn’t accurately reflect the complex non-linear interaction between layers, ribs, and air pressure. So we had to prototype everything manually." That meant hundreds of failed prints, gluing ribs on by hand, and tweaking node positions by millimeters.
The financial burden was immense. Tooling costs were staggering.Eventually, they embraced the idea that complexity wasn't just a hurdle - it was the innovation. "What we’ve unlocked now is the ability to create 3D forms from 2D materials, in a way that no one else can. Even replicating it would be a nightmare without our tools."
As the aH-1 helmet began to take shape in its final form, so did VENTETE’s confidence. "This isn’t just about helmets. We see applications beyond, in wearables, adaptive gear, maybe even medical uses. The system is the product." In contrast to the early days, the helmet is now manufactured in Switzerland in a picturesque valley surrounded by snow-capped mountains, with the patented pressure indicator robotically assembled and no more worries of unstable electricity. They’re now exploring ways to share their story more intentionally. "We always wanted to put out a book - not of the helmet, but of the process. All the stuff no one sees. That’s the most valuable part."
In the end, it was never just about solving a problem. It was about understanding one material at a time, one weld at a time, over a thousand days. "The final product is the tip of the iceberg. Everything below that is where innovation lives." VENTETE is proof that the best ideas are earned, not brainstormed. That making something new sometimes means making the tools to make it. And that behind every sleek product is a story of missteps, breakthroughs, and a team wild enough to keep going.
Our exploration into VENTETE’s journey marks the start of a larger, ongoing quest to uncover transformative innovations across industries. Through this series, we will delve into how these technologies can help us see footwear design in new ways, sparking novel ideas and encouraging creative thought. As we continue our investigation, we are eager to uncover more stories that offer both inspiration and possibility, drawing connections between these breakthroughs and our own work in footwear. This is just the beginning of what we hope will be a long and fruitful exploration of innovation across disciplines...