INNOVATION SPECIAL ....It's All One Skin, But It's Seamless"

"It's All One Skin, But It's Seamless"

Denis Dekovic

Design director, Nike Football

Nike Magista football boots

THE CHALLENGE:

In recent years, soccer has become faster and more physical, yet the cleats that the players wear have largely stayed the same. Denis Dekovic's team set out to design footwear that would provide added comfort and allow greater control to keep up with the pace of the modern game.

THE TURNING POINT:

In studying existing shoes, the design team made an observation: "They start below the ankle," Dekovic says. "What we really wanted to design was a product that was not just for the foot but for the body."

WE WERE TRYING TO MIMIC MOTHER NATURE.

THE EXECUTION:

The $275 Magista Obra is the first ­major soccer shoe to rise above the ankle. "We were trying to mimic Mother Nature," Dekovic says, explaining how the design echoes the network of ligaments that connect the lower leg to the foot. Nike's proprietary Flyknit technology allowed his team to alter the material on a microscopic level: "We could embed cables to provide support. We have different yarns in different areas," Dekovic says, with some providing more elasticity than others. "We have 3-D textures that enhance ball control and grip." He compares Flyknit's ­versatility to that of human skin: "The skin on the top of your hand, it's different from what's on the bottom of your hand, and the transition from the soft skin to the more protective—it's all one skin, but it's seamless."

THE RESULT:

Several top players wore the boot at the World Cup in Brazil last summer, including the host nation's Thiago Silva, Spain's Andrés Iniesta, and Croatia's Luka Modrić. But its crowning moment came when Germany's Mario Götze, wearing the Magista, scored in the 113th minute of the final to defeat Argentina and win his country's fourth World Cup title.

http://www.fastcodesign.com/3035110/innovation-by-design-2014/design-is-changing-how-we-innovate