Redefining products between metal and light
A decade drifting between Milan and Chongqing, between furniture, industrial design and 3D.
Design thinking
This shoe is my deep dive into the frontier of contemporary design and manufacturing technology.
It's a 3D-printed object that genuinely fuses AI-driven design, model optimisation and single-shot fabrication. From concept generation to structural lightweighting to the final print — every step is driven by AI.
We're in the middle of an AI revolution that is more than a tool upgrade: it's the opening of a third industrial revolution, where production shifts from "making" to "intelligent co-creation".
This shoe is my personal answer to that turning point — using technology to redefine the relationship between people and things, so every step carries the weight of the future.
About Rio
I'm Rio — Liu Zilei — born in Chongqing, China.
In 2015 I moved to Milan and enrolled at one of Europe's oldest art academies, Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera. Five years studying everything from classical sculpture and furniture craft to contemporary industrial design.
Back in China from 2020, I've been deeply involved in the Chinese roll-out of several high-end Italian furniture brands, flying back to Milan every April for Salone del Mobile, bridging Italian makers and Chinese clients.
Being independent lets me push material boundaries freely — marble, metal, shock absorbers, 3D-printed footwear. Whatever the idea asks for.
Off the desk I ride motorcycles and fly paragliders. Speed and altitude are a good reminder: design has to serve the body before anything else.
Timeline
Accademia di Brera
Art history, sculpture, furniture craft and product design. Full undergraduate and graduate years in Milan.
Independent Product Designer
Localising product lines for several high-end Italian furniture brands in China. Design coordination, craft translation and fair logistics.
Salone del Mobile
On-site as an interpreter and independent observer. Bridging European makers and Chinese clients — and collecting a whole year's worth of ideas.
Material experiments
Marble × shock absorbers, 3D-printed shoes, metal furniture — cross-discipline work in search of my own design language.
Fragments along the way
A decade bouncing between Milan and Chongqing — work, study, and letting the body lead.
Selected Works
Marble Proximity-Lit Shock Table
Parametric 3D-Printed Shoe
Electro Bus Event
Negative-Pressure Window Aquarium
Tech Explorations
Art Practice
Marble Proximity-Lit Shock Table
A marble top on motorcycle shock-absorber legs, lit from within as you approach. Weight, bounce and light meet on one plane.
Parametric 3D-Printed Shoe
Modelled, iterated and printed end-to-end. Sole lattice, flex zones and breathability generated parametrically — for one foot only.
Electro Bus Event
A retired bus turned into a mobile electronic-music stage — lighting, sound, visuals and a whole night of nomadic partying.
Negative-Pressure Window Aquarium
Using negative pressure to suspend a body of water between two panes of glass — the window turns into a living frame.
Tech Explorations
Mechatronics, printing, AI-aided design — the restless prototypes that don't belong in any one project.
Art Practice
Cross-media pieces with no function attached: drawing, photography, renders, objects. Pure expression.
Let's talk
Design / art, AI workflows, product collaborations, or just Italy — get in touch.
