Nike Flyprint, the first 3D printed textile upper in performance footwear. 

In September 2017 Berlin Marathon, Eliud Kipchoge ran through heavy rain and 99% humidity across 26.2 miles in a time of 2:03:23. After, Nike designers learned from Kipchoge that his shoes retained water, so it added unnecessary weight.  Otherwise, the shoe was perfect.  Designers then turned their focus on developing a new upper. 

 Nike and Kipchoge went through a quick prototyping phase in early 2018.  Kipchoge, who kept training and testing logs on the shoes, told the designers he “fell in love with the feeling of air flowing across his foot” and because of that, he’d “run in these shoes rain or shine”(2018, Eliud Kipchoge, Nike News). Across the span of just a few months, the shoe was ready in time for the 2018 London Marathon on 22nd April. 

Nike Flyprint uppers are produced through solid deposit modelling, a process in which a TPU filament (a flexible, abrasion resistant thermoplastic) is unwound from a coil, melted and laid down in layers. This process allows Nike to move faster with prototyping with extraordinary precision and for changes to be quickly made while preserving the overall construction. For example, Kipchoge fed back to the Nike designers that he wanted the weave of the upper to be tighter. Nike were able to make these changes without interfering with his positive feedback for the shoe. 

This new upper was 11g lighter than the pair Kipchoge wore for Berlin Marathon 2017. Despite the 2018 London Marathon being the hottest in history, Kipchoge won in 2:04:17 wearing the Vaporfly Elite Flyprint. The shoe was available in very limited numbers the week of the London Marathon to Nike members, for a dazzling £500. Although we haven’t seen Flyprint trickle down to a consumer level, new technology is always born out of the need to meet higher benchmarks. That benchmark is constantly shifting, and so are the requirements of all runners. 

Images: @notafraid2fail @nikerunning