Explore the ideas, materials and systems pushing footwear forward.


Waffle Trainer 2 SP 'Midnight Navy'

Nike Waffle Sole / Nike Waffle Trainer 
Designer: Bill Bowerman 
Year: 1970-1972
In Nike’s early days, cofounder Bill Bowerman spent time tinkering and experimenting with running shoe designs. The goal was simple: to create a sneaker that offered superb traction without using metal spikes. His eureka moment came at breakfast over a stack of waffles. Bowerman hijacked the family waffle iron and poured in melted urethane (synthetic rubber), fashioning a flexible, springy and lightweight rubber material with a grippy pattern. 
 
This led to the Nike Waffle Trainer, which received <a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/US3793750A/en">United States patent #3,793,750</a>. Produced in several iterations as Bowerman’s experiments progressed, the sneaker officially debuted during the 1972 Olympic Trials, reportedly produced in a run of 12 hand-cobbled pairs. The design earned the nickname Moon Shoe for the pattern it left on the track.
Bill Bowerman’s ingenuity and the resulting Waffle Racer foreshadowed Nike’s later dominance in running, and this spirit of experimentation and innovation still exists at the core of Nike today.

Air Tailwind 79 'Starfish Sail'

Nike Air / Nike Air Tailwind 
Designer: Frank Rudy 
Year: 1979
The story of Nike Air starts in space. NASA aeronautical engineer Frank Rudy approached the Swoosh in 1977 with the idea of encapsulating gas inside a polyurethane plastic in order to be used as cushioning for performance footwear.&nbsp;
Initially skeptical, Nike cofounder Phil Knight acquiesced, paving the way for the Air Tailwind, the first shoe to contain Nike Air. Released globally in 1979, it wasn’t until the mid-’80s that Nike Air would shine and change everything we know about sneaker culture. Enter Tinker Hatfield.
Hatfield built on Rudy’s innovation, revealing the inner heel bubble on 1987’s <a href="https://www.goat.com/sneakers/silhouette/air-max-1">Air Max 1</a>, a stroke of genius that served as the foundation of Air Max. A year later, the first Jordan sneaker to feature visible Air landed on the scene, arriving in the form of Hatfield’s <a href="https://www.goat.com/sneakers/silhouette/air-jordan-3">Air Jordan 3</a>. 
 
Since the debut of Rudy’s out-of-this-world idea, Nike has continued to build on the proprietary innovation, creating one of the sneaker world’s most recognizable and celebrated franchises.

Micropacer 'Metallic Silver'

adidas Micropacer 
Designer: Unknown 
Year: 1984
At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, adidas unveiled the <a href="https://www.goat.com/sneakers/silhouette/micropacer">Micropacer</a>, the first computerized sneaker in history, at a time when most people didn’t even have computers in their homes.
Built with fitness-tracking functionality, the Micropacer’s tongue housed a small computer that could measure running distance, display dates, and function as both a clock and stopwatch. Despite its futuristic approach, however, the shoe failed to usher in an era of computer-equipped footwear. 
 
Today, the shoe stands out as a forward-thinking innovation and a novel example of retrofuturism at a time where fitness trackers are commonplace. It also represents adidas’ expansive approach to innovation, one that now manifests itself in everything from materials and manufacturing to marketing and retail.

GT 2000 9 2E Wide 'Carrier Grey'

GT 2 'Mist Cinnamon'

GT 2 'Super Red'

ASICS GEL / ASICS GT-2 
Designer: Unknown 
Year: 1986
Like Nike Air, the story of ASICS GEL begins in space. One curious ASICS employee wondered if shock-absorbing gel material used in space shuttles could be used for footwear design. Soon, the ASICS Freak was born, becoming the very first sneaker to contain GEL technology, although its popularity would remain limited while restricted to the Japanese market.
In 1986, ASICS brought GEL technology to the rest of the world with the introduction of the GT-2. In the years to come, many new types of GEL performance would be released, including the more bendable and lightweight T-GEL and the more structured Hexa-GEL, among others. 
 
ASICS proved their new technology with the so-called egg-drop test. Conducted at ASICS’ ISS research facility, the test drops entails dropping an egg onto a 30 millimeter GEL pad from a height of 15 metres, as proof of GEL technology’s shock absorption and impact reduction qualities. 
 
As a testament to the importance of GEL, ASICS has established numerous sports-shoe franchises using GEL technology, including the GEL-Kayano, GEL-Cumulus, GEL-Nimbus and many more. Like Air to Nike or Boost to adidas, GEL is inseparable from the Japanese brand.

Pump Omni Zone 2 'Dee Brown'

Reebok PUMP 
Designer: Design Continuum 
Year: 1989
In the mid-’80s, Reebok was leading the sportswear market. By the end of the decade, Reebok’s position was waning. Reebok President Paul Fireman understood he needed to regain ground, eventually reaching out to Design Continuum, a consulting firm that presented the initial idea for PUMP.&nbsp;
The innovation was both novel and fun featuring an inflatable built-in bladder that provided better ankle support once pumped. And when Reebok decided to use an orange basketball shape as the inflation mechanism on the tongue, PUMP became as much a collectible toy as it was a sneaker innovation. 
 
In November 1989, the first Reebok PUMP hit shelves with a price tag of $170. By the end of 1990, Reebok had sold around $500 million worth of Reebok PUMPs. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/07/business/market-place-reebok-rebounds-with-the-pump.html">The New York Times</a> worked out that if <a href="https://www.goat.com/sneakers/silhouette/pump-omni">Reebok PUMP</a> was its own brand, it would have been the fourth-largest in the industry. 
 
Armed with a hit proprietary innovation, Reebok took the technology to new places, bringing PUMP to the InstaPump Fury, one of the brand’s most revered streetwear styles. As Reebok continues to unveil progressive silhouettes such as the Premier Road Modern and DMX Trail Shadow, there’s no telling where PUMP might show up next.

Flyknit Trainer 2017 'OG'

Nike Flyknit 
Designer: N/A 
Year: 2012
In 2012, Nike made a splash at the London 2012 Summer Olympics with Flyknit. Produced using flat-knitting machines capable of weaving 3D textiles, one-piece Flyknit uppers imitated the anatomical form of a foot better than any upper material on the market.
‘Volt’ footwear stole the show at the Games, as athletes including Mo Farah captured the gold medal in neon Flyknit track spikes. Following the Olympics, sneakerheads got their chance to wear and experience this new Flyknit innovation for themselves, kickstarting an athleisure trend that lasted years. 
 
The technology remains an integral part of Nike Running and has since moved on to other Swoosh products including the <a href="https://www.goat.com/sneakers/silhouette/epic-react">React Flyknit</a>, the <a href="https://www.goat.com/sneakers/silhouette/lebron-15">LeBron XV</a> and even SB offerings such as the <a href="https://www.goat.com/sneakers/silhouette/eric-koston-3">Koston 3</a>.

UltraBoost 4.0 'Core Black'

Yeezy Boost 350 V2 'Tail Light'

adidas Boost 
Designer: BASF/adidas 
Year: 2014
In 2014, adidas introduced Boost, a cushioning foam that’s as ubiquitous today as Nike Air or ASICS GEL. Tracing its genesis to German chemical company BASF, Boost was created by super-heating TPU until it expanded, creating many small components of a new polymer called E-TPU, which were then molded into soles to be used in footwear.
Boost was introduced as a running shoe, but quickly caught the attention of athletes and sneakerheads. It was vehicles like the <a href="https://www.goat.com/sneakers/silhouette/ultraboost">Ultra Boost</a> and Kanye West’s <a href="https://www.goat.com/sneakers/silhouette/yeezy-boost-350">Yeezy Boost 350</a>, in particular, that truly propelled Boost forward, turning it into a household name for sneakerheads.
Today, Boost is regarded as a standard for comfort, something simply not offered by traditional sole materials such as rubber. It’s used in everything from West’s perennially popular <a href="https://www.goat.com/collections/yeezy">Yeezy line</a> to reimagined versions of the iconic Stan Smith.

GO FlyEase 'Volt Celestine Blue'

Nike FlyEase 
Designer: Tobie Hatfield 
Year: 2015 
 
FlyEase is Nike’s proprietary, easy-entry footwear system designed for differently abled athletes. The program started with Matthew Walzer, a 16-year-old with cerebral palsy, who penned a letter to Nike, asking them to develop a shoe designed for those who may have trouble tying shoelaces. Nike took on the challenge. 
 
Rather than referring to one specific product, FlyEase is an umbrella that has given us numerous innovative products like the <a href="https://www.goat.com/sneakers/lebron-soldier-10-flyease-917338-009">FlyEase LeBron 10</a>, the <a href="https://www.goat.com/sneakers/air-zoom-pegasus-35-flyease-4e-wide-black-lime-blast-av2315-016">Pegasus 35 FlyEase</a> and, more recently, the GO FlyEase. The latter introduced a progressive form that operates via a midfoot hinge, working towards the idea of a hands-free shoe created for those with less dexterity in their hands, or lack of strength in their fingers.
Nike's athlete innovation director Tobie Hatfield (and brother of legendary Nike designer Tinker Hatfield) is part of the FlyEase program’s leadership team, working closely with Paralympic athletes to gain insights and hone the concept behind the FlyEase program. The inclusionary spirit of Nike FlyEase is a fulfilment of Bill Bowerman’s famous mantra, “If you have a body, you are an athlete.”

HyperAdapt 1.0 'Habanero Red' UK Charger

HyperAdapt 1.0 'Metallic Silver'

HyperAdapt 1.0 'Sport Royal' Sample

Nike E.A.R.L. 
Designer: Tinker Hatfield / Tiffany Beers 
Year: 2016 
 
What started as a bit of special effects conceived and designed by Tinker Hatfield and Mark Parker for 1989’s Back to the Future II turned into one of Nike’s most exciting innovations. When the film’s protagonist Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, is being chased by bully Biff Tannen, McFly secures his escape with the help of a Mattel hoverboard and Nike power-lacing high-tops. 
 
Years later, an online petition caught the attention of Hatfield, who enlisted Nike engineer Tiffany Beers, and the duo set off on a years-long journey to try to make the shoes a reality. The first run of replica shoes was created in 2011. Nike called them the MAG, but they didn’t yet feature the power-lacing capabilities from the movie. In 2016, a second-generation <a href="https://www.goat.com/sneakers/air-mag-back-to-the-future-417744-001">Nike MAG</a> was unveiled, this time featuring an early version of E.A.R.L. (Electro Adaptive Reactive Lacing), a working self-lacing technology.
Just months later, the first accessible E.A.R.L. shoe arrived in the form of the <a href="https://www.goat.com/sneakers/silhouette/hyperadapt">Nike HyperAdapt</a>, which featured built-in motors that tightened or loosened the shoe’s laces. Carrying on the journey to make auto-lacing accessible, a performance sneaker, dubbed the <a href="https://www.goat.com/sneakers/silhouette/adapt-bb">BB Adapt</a>, made E.A.R.L. technology more compact and ready for the hardwood.&nbsp;
The intersection of tech and footwear design seems like a promising field for Nike, considering the early successes of auto-lacing technology.

Ultra 4D 5.0 'Cookies And Cream'

adidas 4D 
Designer: Carbon/adidas 
Year: 2017
Created with proprietary hardware, software and materials from California-based research firm Carbon, adidas 4D technology represents another landmark for footwear innovation.&nbsp;
The cushioning technology is created or “printed” with light and oxygen through a process called Digital Light Synthesis, which chisels a geometrical lattice structure out of liquid resin. 4D’s lattice structure not only enhances energy return, but the honeycomb pattern is more flexible in certain places while being more rigid in others, providing thoughtful stabilization from the heel to the forefoot.&nbsp;
4D technology also allows more fine-tuned customization than ever before. As adidas designer Jacques Perrault <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFtVF2DdSuM">notes</a>, “If you really want to make a shoe that’s a size 9, that same shoe for someone who is 180 pounds, versus someone who is 100 pounds, has to be different.” 
 
Created as part of adidas’ Futurecraft division, 4D represents a new era of data-driven innovation, in which footwear design relies on data to illuminate the needs of a specific sport, individual athletes and consumers.

Zoom VaporFly 4% 'Vast Grey'

Nike 4% (Carbon Plate) 
Designer: N/A 
Year: 2017-2018
Just like Nike Flyknit and adidas Boost, Nike’s carbon-fiber plate technology ignited an innovation arms race, as competitor brands scrambled to create their own version of Nike’s revolutionary <a href="https://www.goat.com/sneakers/silhouette/zoom-vaporfly-4">Vaporfly 4%</a>. Although carbon fiber was used previously for shoes like the Steven Smith-designed Reebok InstaPump Fury, Nike was the first to apply carbon fiber to the sole unit of a performance running shoe.&nbsp;
Featuring a full-length, carbon fiber plate underfoot, the 4% was developed with Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge, the frontman of Nike’s ambitious project to break the two-hour marathon barrier. Kipchoge helped Nike test and develop the new-age runners, leading to the Vaporfly 4% (and successive models), and a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAxYQJewtbU">marathon time of 1:59:40</a>, albeit in non-official conditions.
An unintentionally brilliant marketing moment, the 4% sparked a debate about the line between an athlete’s natural abilities and performance-enhancing products. Ultimately, the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) stated that shoes "must not be constructed so as to give athletes any unfair assistance or advantage." Nike’s technology escaped a ban, opening the door for brands like Brooks to create their own carbon fiber-equipped models. 
 
Keeping the same spirit of experimentation and innovation that motivated Bill Bowerman to create the Waffle sole, Nike maintains an extreme focus on pushing boundaries in the area of running, and the Nike 4% is yet another reminder of this.

Nike Air to adidas Boost: 11 of the Most Innovative Sneaker Technologies of All Time

Remembering the footwear worn by Team USA on the road to gold.

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