Nike Flywire

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Nike Flywire
TypeYarn used in sneakers
InventorJay Meschter
Inception2008; 16 years ago (2008)
ManufacturerNike, Inc.
Websitenike.com/flywire

Nike Flywire is a thread, composed of vectran or nylon, developed by Nike to minimize weight and maximize support, and used in the upper part of a sneaker. Shoes containing Flywire became available for consumer purchase in 2008.[1]

Development

Flywire was created by Jay Meschter, Director of Innovation at Nike.[2] He began by taking a foot last and marking the key points of where a shoe needs to support the foot. When Meschter saw an embroidery machine, he determined the machine could be used to make long stitches. Long stitches allow lightweight fibers to support the foot in key points, instead of using layers of material that support the whole foot.

Nike designed Flywire with inspiration from a

metatarsus and toes) and heel. The cables are designed to wrap around the foot like tendons
.

Vectran

Nike Lunaracer+ sneakers, with the vectran fibers behind and around the Nike logo

Nike adapts

tensile strength, the stress at which material deforms (five times stronger than steel[3]), which makes it an ideal component for synthetic fibers. Vectran has also been used by NASA and in bicycle tires, among other things.[4]

Weight

Due to the Vectran fibers, shoes containing Nike Flywire weigh as little as 93

Michael Johnson's famous Golden Shoes of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. These spikes are so light that athletes claim they are like "a second skin" or "spikes coming out of their feet."[4] This is a goal that Bill Bowerman tried to achieve as co-founder of Nike and a spike designer.[6]

Shoes

Many Nike shoes contain Flywire.

athletics shoes were debuted at the 2007 World Championships at Osaka, while the rest made their first appearance at the 2008 Summer Olympics, in Beijing, China, though all are now available for consumer purchase.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b Jones, Riley. "KNOW YOUR TECH: Nike Flywire". Complex.
  2. ^ a b Resetar, Max (2017-12-18). "Sole Survivors: Kobe Bryant and the Nike Hyperdunk's Legacy". Slam. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  3. ^ a b c "Technology >> Flywire > Detail". Nike Lab. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
  4. ^ a b "Vectran Fiber to Propel Olympic Runners in Revolutionary New Nike Zoom Victory Running Shoes". Marketwire. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
  5. ^ "Latest materials improve sportswear performance". ICIS Chemical Business. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
  6. ^ "History of the Nike Flyknit Trainer". Sneaker Breaker.

External links