Nike applies Space Hippie tech to Chuck Taylors
A new trainer from Converse blends the technology of Nike’s Space Hippie with the iconic silhouette of the Chuck Taylor All Star.
Challenges in designing the Crater, Nike said, included figuring out how to apply expanding “Crater Foam” to the Chuck shape, identifying a viable upper material and rethinking the use of reinforcer materials. A team of more than 100 people worked out how to mold the foam to the shoe’s shape and used Morphlon blends for the upper. The blends contain recycled polyester and recycled post-industrial textile waste scraps.
The redesign also resulted in a new design that requires less material and has a new lacing system. The shoe is part of Nike’s Move to Zero efforts toward being a zero carbon and zero waste company.
