Fast forward for footwear

In the quest among athletes for longer, faster or better performance, shoe selection can provide the competitive edge. The adidas Group, headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, launched its Futurecraft series to open up new avenues for the design and manufacture of performance footwear. The company’s most recent collaboration with Alexander Taylor Studio, a London, England, industrial designer, applies a technique associated with composite and electrical applications to shoe design.

Futurecraft Tailored Fibre uses a flexible and efficient embroidery process in which a primary yarn is stitched down by a smaller secondary yarn. The patterns and paths of the embroidery enhance the functionality and aesthetics of the shoe. Engineered fibers and filaments, combined with more traditional materials, can build a shoe with a flexible forefoot, supportive mid-cage and rigid heel counter. Tailored Fibre allows shoes to be customized to fit an individual’s specific needs and signature style. Two other offspring of the adidas Futurecraft design initiative are the Futurecraft Leather superstar (collaboration with Joachim de Callataÿ, a Paris-based shoe designer) and the adidas x Parley recycled ocean plastic shoe (working with Parley for the Oceans).