Nike launches knitted trainer
US sportswear and footwear brand Nike has announced the launch of a new running shoe which uses state-of-the-art integral knitting techniques to create a one piece upper which is “virtually seamless”. The Nike Flyknit upper is engineered for precision fit and aims to create the feeling of a second skin for runners, Nike says.
Nike holds a number of patents which cover the knitting of one piece trainer uppers using both warp and weft knitting (flat and circular knitting technologies). In the case of warp and circular knitting, two dimensionally knitted shoe upper panels are knitted side by side and are later cut from the fabric and seamed before being attached to other shoe components.
According to Nike, the Flyknit revolutionises running by rethinking shoe construction from the ground up, informed by athlete insights and employing a new proprietary technology.
“Yarns and fabric variations are precisely engineered only where they are needed for a featherweight, formfitting and virtually seamless upper. With all the structure and support knitted in, the Nike Flyknit Racer’s upper and tongue weigh just 34 grams,” Nike said in a statement.
The whole shoe weighs 160g for a UK size 9, 19% lighter than the Nike Zoom Streak 3.
Nike has also created an everyday running shoe, the Nike Flyknit Trainer+, which weighs 220 grams.
