UNEXPECTED FALL 2004

Another true story, the one that happened to some of us, you know when there is an open window in your brain in what the future can be. This chapter states exactly this feeling I had back in 2001 when I started to project a vision of the performance footwear with a 5 years scope. 

I named it Unexpected fall 04 and sent it to my friends at Nike. Why Nike? Because this brand always been at the pinnacle of innovation in this field. Will follow 4 chapters, Running Lifestyle, Running Performance, Sports Wear and Training. 12 models.

Running Lifestyle: I always liked the Nike Catalogue page layouts and decided to communicate the content as if people in the company hold their probable future. Everything is invented, the products, the constructions, the arguments, the names etc.... same for the other following categories.

For the running iterations, One star is selected, a 360 degree air max called Max Opulence. Above the inspiration board

The product shows the blend of 3 distinctive "so called" technologies. A hollowed chassis in which 360 pods of air are inserted. The pods are the likes of the fall 04 introduced Nike free in a 360 manner as per the air max 2006.

First generation of Nike free launched in fall 2004

first air max 360 lauched in 2006

Running Performance catalogue page.

Running Performance: Already Tired of layers we were finding in shoe making at that time, I introduced the idea of thermo-forming upper, as if the shoe was tailored to your foot morphology. 

Impossible details of the star product. Few years later I realized how difficult this shoe is in term of construction. But I still believe today in thermo forming.

Sports Wear inspiration page.

Sports Wear catalogue page where you can see the association of full grain leather and translucency (see below). 3D crafted fabrics and embossed jacquards, are already considered in the vision. Molded EVA with integrated air max unit...or 3D heel EVA replacement of usual integrated plastic heel counter. Some of the options have been lately introduced in the market in summer 2015 like the latest KD8 Basketball shoe.

Speaking about transparency and full grain Leather combination,  I have been almost in synchrony with Designer A cooper who designed the shoe in 2001 and saw its introduction in 2003. He answered and designed a basketball icon, I suggested a sleep-on sportswear daily companion with a close to the foot full zoom air visibility.

NIKE KD 8   2015 and its heelcounter / midsole extended 

Training inspiration page.

Training catalogue page where you can see the association of thermo forming base upper over the air systems, the return of the air 180 expressed in a different way,  and a funky version of EVA midsole that reminds of a NikeFree individual pods. 

We are almost 15 years later, and I still believe this small exercise of projection was worth making it. The reality turned the product concepts way simpler than I thought, while I am still surprised to see similar solution hitting the market later on. 

The reason is simple, creative Ideas are hung over our heads. I just picked some of them.  

still today.........

ALL ABOUT STUDS (part 1)

This picture alone tells the story of one of the longest scientific opinion conflict when we speak about studded football shoes. Whats more efficient? Rounded stud or Bladed studs. This ever unresolved question rolled us for a long debate which, (can you believe?) lasted 50 years.

The first battle saw the victory of the Rounded studs Era. Here in picture, the last piece of art developed with an accurate eye of Adolf Dassler, the founder.

The second Battle defeated the Round studs and gave birth to the blade studs era from 1996 to 2010.

Some brands could not decide wether Round or Blades was the right answer. They implemented both of them in an hybrid functional manner: soft and firm ground. Lotto zhero gravity.

Ah The blades: if you are coming from another planet, and see Bladed shoes, you might imagine a sport where movements are generally made in a lateral motion, a bit like a Crossfit specialty on grass only......


But Football/Soccer is everything but only lateral motion. This is this functional context that Harald, Jürgen and I started to question in 2008.

Looking for a way to accelerate the game, I did a converged study in between soccer and track and field sprint discipline.

We looked at the stud placement in forefoot that compromise the two sports. from an exo-sourced document, some of you might recognize.

Once the position fixed, we declared the acceleration the cutting and the breaking zones. I analyzed the zones according to these two maps obtained from another exo-sourced document, in Google Patent, from the Mizuno stud study made available for all.

A new generation of stud is born, semi round at the top and triangular at the base for an increased 3 directional traxion pattern. 

In orange are the studs and shapes, fruits of our research, Adidas The Dassler Project,  the best ever recorded traxion at Adidas in history. 

In yellow is the modified pattern and shaped studs that characterize the new era of triangular studs at Adidas, the F50 limit launched in 2010.  no more Rounds, no more Blades.....but Deltas.

We kept our focus in improving the delta franchise with medical support in order to create in 2014, the Zonic system introduced the year of the world cup in Brazil and still implemented in 2015 in Messi's signature shoe and the late X Chaos line

I spotted different aficionados of the delta studs. I would love to hear or read what decided these 7 brands to opt for the deltas. Unfortunately the information is not public. But I can certify it, all of them came out after 2011.

Harald G, Harry K, Jürgen W, Stefan S, marco M, Dirk M, Helmut H, Bob K, Martin L, Jamal N Volker S, and few others became the devoted makers of the third generation of studs that are proven to reduce athletes injuries.

Sometimes, when I wonder why I am doing this job, this article looks like a good reminder.