Technology has changed the way we live our lives. Even the last 10 years have been a turning point in everything from labour saving devices to transport and especially in computing. Fashion and sportswear have also benefited from these developments, with the latter investing millions in creating more effective clothing and shoes. Sports brands work very closely with sportsmen and women to improve their products all the time, and Nike is one of the first to hit upon a new way of making trainers.
I say 'new', it's new to Nike. They're knitting their shoes now.
Nike Flyknit is a new line for the brand. They've been trying to work out how to make running shoes that are supportive, but also feel light and airy. This is a holy grail for many athletes who prefer a more minimalist approach to running for competition and training. The inspiration came from athletes who had been looking for shoes that feel as comfortable as socks. These shoes are apparently close to knitted socks in comfort as you can get, at least for now.
This isn't the first time that Nike has attempted to produce a kitted sock-like training shoe. In the 80s the release of the Sock Racer, which was very thin, and found to be too flimsy for many runners. It seems that technology has finally caught up with Nike's design concepts, and a stable, knitted running shoe could finally be released.The technology behind Nike Flyknit
Starting with the basic idea of how a sock is made, the technicians, engineers and programmers took a knitting machine, normally used for making jumpers, and took it apart. The 15-foot long machine was re-engineered to work on the designs for the uppers, which has a surprisingly level of versatility.The material to make the shoe is woven from spools of polyester yarn on spools. These are fed through the machine to create the shape of the shoe, which is formed from small strands of fibre. These synthetic fibres build up the shoe's structure and support. In-house software, which Nike calls 'micro-precision engineering' allows for the slightest adjustment in the shoe's design. Even the flexibility of the shoe can be adjusted at its most basic make up. The addition of more lycra into the yarn feed adds more flexibility, while thicker yarn for the heel adds greater toughness.
This whole process is performed incredibly quickly, which has made Nike very excited at the prospects. In fact, with the projected speed of production this has also improved the brand's performance at the stock exchange. It remains to be seen how these knitted trainers will take off among runners when they hit US stores this July, at $150 a pair.
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