A little while back, Jeff Johnson (think:听Nike employee number one) shared an observation with product developers at the company. On his casual runs, he tended to veer out of his way to hit a soft patch of pine needles, even if the detour only rewarded him with a few strides on softer terrain. Could Nike design a shoe that replicated that soft-pine-needle feel all the time?
The answer comes in the distinctly silhouetted form of the , a running shoe dedicated to creating that extra bit of underfoot cushioning.
The Flyknit upper is complemented听by the sock-like collar, which makes the shoe feel like a seamless extension of your lower leg, rather than a clunky appendage.听鈥淏y increasing the surface area of the upper, you eliminate some of the pressure points that can typically be there in a running shoe,鈥 says Kathy Gomez, vice president听of Nike Running Global Footwear, 鈥淪o the result is, the upper kind of disappears on your foot. You don鈥檛 feel it.鈥
Other innovations include a new midsole construction that uses heat and pressure, rather than glue, to fuse two different densities听of Lunarlon foam, and an outsole that's听marked by laser-cut grooves, or 鈥渟ipes,鈥 for added flexibility and traction.
And, in case you鈥檙e wondering, the shoe is meant to be worn with or without socks.
Weight: 8.3 oz. (Men鈥檚 size 10);听6.55 oz. (Women鈥檚 size 8)
$175,
听
听