Biometrics inform Joe Nimble’s high-performance shoe
Polyurethane experts from Huntsman have collaborated with footwear brand Joe Nimble and Germany’s Footwear Innovation Lab to create a high-performance running shoe.
Ultreya has been designed by Joe Nimble founder Sebastian Bär alongside biomechanics expert Lee Saxby, with wider toe box that provides a natural stabilising function during the ground contact phase of running.
The shoes feature a high energy-return polyurethane midsole based on a dual density Daltoped polyurethane system from Huntsman called nmblFOAM by Joe Nimble.
The Daltoped system has also enabled Joe Nimble to simplify the manufacture of the shoes by eliminating some production steps.
Johan Van Dyck, global application development manager at Huntsman, said: “It is very exciting to be part of a project where the science of running and the biometrics of the feet are translated so closely into the design and construction of a shoe and its sole.
“The performance that our Daltoped polyurethane system delivers to Ultreya shoes is further evidence of the opportunities that polyurethanes can enable in footwear – going far beyond what other soling materials can offer.”
The first drop of Ultreya shoes was manufactured in Portugal; with Joe Nimble planning to produce wider runs of the trainers in Pirmasens, Germany, from Autumn 2022. Pirmasens is located around 300 miles (500kms) from Deggendorf, where Huntsman produces its Daltoped footwear systems; and less than 100 miles from Ludwigsburg, where Joe Nimble is headquartered.
