Nike FlyKnit Trainer Part 3 | Philosophy
A few months back I gave you what my initial thoughts were for what I felt the future could be for Nike FlyKnit in my piece “Hacking The Industry.” The piece was solely penned from my pure excitement of what I had understood of the technology at the time of its initial press release. While I still think those ideas are fun and unique and could provide a very bright future for the manufacturing process, I now have a new Philosophy for where I see FlyKnit going in the intermediate time frame.
In the second part of this series, Function, I compared the FlyKnit Trainer to my current everyday runner the Nike LunarEclipse. As I mentioned in that article the main reason I wear the LunarEclipse is for my outrageous pronation but I also described my hate for stability shoes, my main objection to them is how heavy and chunky they are. For a very long period I wore the LunarRacer because it was so light on my foot but at the same time it was terrible for my gait and eventually caused me knee pains. But now with the FlyKnit Trainer I have that same feeling of extreme lightness and I really don’t want to go back but as much as I don’t want to admit it, I still need some stability.
So the designer in me started thinking, if I was going to create a stability shoe with FlyKnit what would it be?
It is important to remember that you can’t ever really stop pronation, all you can do is try to contain it. Most stability shoes like my LunarEclipse; feature a large heel counter or a “posted” medial arch where harder density foam is used to absorb and control how far your foot rolls over. The heel counter in my eyes is the most important part of this system because if your heel is stable then you won’t have much side-to-side movement within your shoe and therefore you can slow down pronation.
But a large plastic piece glued on to the heel of a FlyKnit upper is so counterintuitive to not only the philosophy and purpose of FlyKnit but also the manufacturing process and honestly it would just be lazy design for me to do this. So I need to come up with a way to blend or should I say knit the two.
I am thinking that if you use thermosetting plastic and knit it into the upper in the main support areas and then use a curing element such as heat, you can set the upper directly around the runners foot. The thermosetting plastic would be knitted to encompass the heel and wrap into the medial arch for maximum stability control. If you combine this upper with a sole unit that has Nike’s Dynamic Support, essentially a posted shoe that is created by two densities of foam that wedge together; you could have a pretty amazing stability shoe. I would wear it, but…
A key thing I have learned through my young design career is that if you are designing for yourself, you are designing for no one. So how can I take this concept of a creating a shoe that would be perfect for me and present it to the world?
At most Niketown’s you already have a treadmill set up for runners to try your product and the workers also educate the consumer on what shoe is best for them. When they buy this new shoe that I am calling the FLYKNITCONTROL, you fit the user by curing the product at an established area within the store. Hopefully near the treadmill and running area. You have already started to do something similar to this at running events where you have steamed the FlyKnits to give a completely contoured fit to the runner that purchases the shoes. I don’t know how warm that steam is getting, I would assume at least 212° which would be perfect for my idea because from what I understand with thermosetting plastic (which is little, I’m just a designer) is that it needs to be 200° to cure. So in my eyes combining these two processes could give the runner the ultimate in fit.
Last Thursday in my sketchbook drop I gave a little preview to the design below as I showed the process I was using to create this runner, the FLYKNITCONTROL. The shoe uses a similar upper to the current FlyKnit running product, a mix of tightly knitted material for support and integrated areas of stretch for flexibility along with Dynamic Flywire to lock the foot into place. The main innovation in the FLYKNITCONTROL is the knitted thermosetting plastic that interacts with a high rising midsole to stabilize the heel and help contain pronation. The thermosetting plastic is knitted in a cross-grain direction compared to the rest of the upper. My goal was to create a stronger weave by intersecting it with the FlyKnit.
I really focused on creating an aesthetic that carries your eye from heel to forefoot but at the same time has complimentary graphics that provide function as they are tightly knitted areas that contour the shape of the foot from lateral to medial. The midsole is Lunarlon and internally features the Dynamic Support system that also helps contain pronation.
The styling direction of the midsole was to aide in the styling of the upper. I created a support beam that wraps from heel to toe that is painted in black. The beam is meant to graphically lock in place the rest of the midsole that features facets that aide in the cushioning of the shoe as they collapse on themselves when you land and dispense the weight throughout the length of the shoe. The facets remove unnecessary weight as well.
The main goal of this project was to create a lightweight shoe that would stabilize pronation and allow someone (myself) to run intermediate distances without causing future pain. As you can tell it is purely an artistic vision but I do believe there are some ideas here that could help take, what I am considering the most innovative manufacturing process in the past ten years of footwear, to the next level. Let me know if you agree below.
Dope flyknit rendering.
Dope as always.great project Brett!
I also have a crazy pronation .so far my ideal running shoes where the zoom structure,but I also have doubts about the all Idea of stability shoes,they’re way to heavy.
I recently started running with my NIke free run 1(which I think are better than the 2&3) and I put a more cushioned insole in them. it feels great to run but in the long terms it’s to risky.
I think this Project here is amazing,your midsole design integrates very well with the flyknit upper. I still would go for more flexibility in the forefoot and if possible a less massive midsole. great stuff!
Thanks G!
Before my LunarEclipse I ran in the second generation Free 5.0 and absolutely loved them. My favorite aspect of the shoe was how firm the midsole was, it had so much rebound through the forefoot.
I considered bringing more of the Free ideology into this shoe but I wanted to keep this shoe “philosophically clean” so to speak. I didn’t want this project to become the shoe that has everything and lose focus on the nature of the problem I was solving for.
I agree the shoe could have a little more visual flexibility but I think that could be solved for in the sole unit with the lug pattern layout.
Hello Brett, thanks for posting your design! I really enjoyed reading it.
I also have pronation problems. Whenever I try to run, rolling my ankle is probably the biggest issue that I have. Few weeks ago, I almost broke my ankle because of the pronation, I was lucky to just pop my muscle instead..lol
Anyways, I thinking having that black bean around heel to forefoot is definitely something that interested me. It reminds me of a pair of Nike Hyperdunk which is meant to be used for a lot of lateral movement sports such as basketball.
I think your beam has been slimmed out and I can see how it will give the user extra support for pronation problem.
I also learned something interesting when you run. Most of running shoes have thick cushioning on the heel in order to give softness and support for the user, however, it also makes(?) you run from heel to forefoot. I’ve noticed if you roll your foot from heel to forefoot while you are running, you are also damaging your ankle, knee, and hip bone overtime. That’s why the barefoot runners train themselves to run with their forefoot touching the ground first (few articles been saying that if you run with your forefoot, it damages your muscle rather than joints. Muscles do recovers, while joints don’t).
So I feel like it is important to have cushioning on the heel part, but the heel cushioning shouldn’t be too high from the one on forefoot – basically very close height for both parts.., it is just my opinion, but I would really like to hear your thoughts on this!
Sorry for too much talking LOL!!!
Much support,
D
Thanks for checking it out Dongwoo.
The beam is similar to the Hyperdunk but it is less about lateral support as it is more to help secure the waist of your foot and keep it in place.
I don’t believe the sole unit makes any runner in particular land on your heel. The bulk of the population naturally heel crashes while a very small percentage are midfoot and forefoot strikers. Many people have trained themselves to switch from midfoot to forefoot but the running industry has created product like the New Balance Minimus, the Vibram Five-Fingers or the Newton line for example to have a zero drop in their heel which in return forces the runner on the forefoot.
For me I don’t personally believe heel striking is a problem. No matter where you land you are putting an extreme amount of pressure on that area and it has to travel somewhere. While forefoot and midfoot is the more efficient gait for energy return and therefore speed, I do think you are still going to have aches and injuries but in different areas of the body. No matter what you are putting your body through a continuous motion and over time it is going to breakdown. It is a natural part of life.
I don’t think a midsole height can keep someone from running on their forefoot, I think it can challenge them but it can’t prevent them.
The focus for me when I run is using the proper mechanics and stretching techniques to make sure my body is completely aligned. A good form leads to less injury. The shoes I wear just aide me in keeping me aligned but the reality is it is up to me and how I run that ultimately keeps me going without injury.
I also agree with your opinion.
I was informed late from barefoot runners that it is more natural to run with your forefoot striking the ground and less damage to your body. However, I think it works for some people while it’s not the favorite for the others.
It was interesting to read; “No matter what you are putting your body through a continuous motion and over time it is going to breakdown. It is a natural part of life.”
Thanks, B!
Always thank you for sharing your design, Brett.
I am impressed that the design itself is telling the story so vividly within only these three simple boards. This is one of my weakest part as a designer. Learned another good point on how to design things. Thank you.
-RaeKyu
Thanks RaeKyu! Simplicity comes with time. Just practice having a clear and concise message and it will all come together. Try practicing your presentations out loud and see what you naturally skip over and you can then figure out what information to remove.
Just remember to keep rethinking and trying new things. Good design comes with experience and experiences.
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Fantastic design and I love the idea of a custom fitting in a Nike store. Keep up the good work!
Thank you!
Thanks! I really appreciate it.
I love shoes. Been away for awhile and come home to find this explosion. All over the internet. And sneaker “releases” just got my nephew the jordan xi. Not cause of the exclusivity but the design fuction beauty of the shoe. Brings me to you. I own those Flyknits. Not a person, sneakerhead of otherwise wouldnt belive the shoe you design wouldnt be in production at Nike. Its good to put a face w/ podcasts . Havn a ball w/ this sneaker culture stuff. Thanks much respect