Narrower heel part of UA first female-specific basketball shoe
A women-focused team of designers and basketball players has developed Under Armour’s first basketball shoe tailored specifically for female basketball players.
Design details of the HOVR Breakthru include a last with a 28% narrower heel, shallow instep and women-specific arch shape. The design team considered the anatomy of the female foot, according to Under Armour, which it described as being more sensitive in certain areas, and needing more support in others. They also factored in that the game in general is becoming more “positionless” and that female players are “quicker up and down the court”.
Jessie Benjamin, senior footwear designer at Under Armour, said: “We spent a lot of time analyzing how to best support her shape and structure, her movement, her pressure points. During this process, we came up with an entirely new last and designed the Breakthru from the inside out.”
