INTERVIEW BEHIND THE ULTRA BOOST

As you already know, I had the pleasure of taking part in the Adidas Ultra Boost pre-launch in NYC a month ago.  At the press event, I got the chance to interview the people behind the shoe (within the categories of brand, design and tech).

Here is a selection of highlights from the interview. 

Interview with Ben Herath, VP Design Global Running:

How do you make a running shoe? And how do you get from the technology to the shoe?

It always starts with a goal and an ambition: Asking the question how do we create the greatest running shoe ever? Looking at all our greatest technologies, all our greatest innovations, how do we pull them all together into one shoe and make them work in harmony with each other? Comebine them into one system that work on your foot. The first step is to know what we want to do and from there it’s simple. We wanted to create the ultimate, energised experience. Depending on what running shoe you are designing you have different goals – for this one it was about giving runners more energy. Throughout the design process we kept coming back to that.

It’s also running as an experience – shoes are often viewed as different pieces but to look at a shoe as an experience – you are feeling it. It’s not just to avoid injuries but to actually give you footwear as an experience – that is an incredibly exciting challenge. 

How does the design team work?

The design process is driven by the material: We are not driven by designing lines on shoes but it is really about finding the best materials to use and then figure out how we put that around the foot. For example if we need a mid-sole, if we need rubber etc. we figure out what’s the best use of that material around the foot. As we were creating the design we looked at different materials and different patterns of movement – some worked better than others and some were more complex and some more simple – as we build the deigns we found the materials that worked best with the foot.

For us it’s really driven by testing. If we have an idea we immediately build it and we try it out. We made hundreds of samples to get to this shoe, we tried it on, went for a run, went back inside and evaluated – out of that process came this shoe. For every step we took, we made the design more simple, more reduced and in harmony with the foot. So the design process is driven by listening, testing and modifying. We listen to what people want – which is energy. We test it out and we then get feedback on how that was. It’s an on-going process.

The design is innovation- and technology driven. For example the Aramis testing, in some places you want the sole to expand – in other places you do not want it to expand at all so you look how to create a mid sole that does that. It needs to be thick rubber in one place and it needs to be softer in another place: To take that innovation and that technology and then turn it into something that is beautiful. Every piece you see on the shoe is a highly technical material and every single thing  down to the size go the holes and the weight of the material is build with a performance benefit. The idea is to make those performance benefits look incredible and look like something you want to touch and feel. It’s really complicated but it looks simple. 

Where did you get the inspiration for the design?

A lot of the inspiration came from the new test equipment, it’s equipment used by Boeing and Nasa, it’s used on aircraft wings – we took that and applied that to the body and we saw how the foot changes when we run. We had all this data we never had before and translating that into the design blew us away as designers. We were suddenly able to say: if the foot moves here then we need to do this. That really helped us and inspired the design. 

Can you explain the development in the design of running shoes from when you started at Adidas till now?

I’ve been with Adidas for twelve years and I have to say that it was a very different time in the running industry back then. There was a design language for running shoes and it was expected that the shoes looked in a certain way – if it was technical then it had to look like it. Over the twelve years, we have constantly challenged that to really look at how we can change running shoes, looking at how we can change the way running shoes perform and the way running shoes look. At this point in time, the shoe’s performances is really defining what the features will look like. Really, I believe every generation of running shoes will redefine the look and feel. It has been an amazing journey to get to here and we are going to keep pushing the boundaries of what we can do.  

Interview with Mikal Peveto Sr. Director, Futures Running:

What was the starting point for the Ultra Boost?

In Feburary 2013, we introduced Boost for the first time an we started the iterative process of testing learning and modifying. The Boost technology was perfect for us to learn as much as we can because we had never made anything like this, it had never been seen before. What we found was an elastic thermoplastic XXX, that absorbs more impact because of the chemical compound. It returns more energy than any other compound we have ever seen or tested. This was done in a collaboration with BASF. Though this collaboration, we found that in traditional running shoes you are likely to see BXXX cut out in the bottom to help with flexibility because otherwise that material is stiff. However, because these are individual capsules and they are fused together – the moulding process is similar to a bicycle helmet – when these capsules are stacked on top of each other and fused together they allow for movement, very small movement on top of each other independent from each other. What that created was series of groves that you don’t see because they are buried in the product itself. We also found that it was very stable, which is important because running injuries happen because of a repetitive motion not like for example in football when someone steps on your foot and you twist you ankle. In running, it is generally a slight imperfection done over and over that leads to an injury. So you have to look at stability and make sure there is not too much motion in one place because it stresses the knee or the hip etc. We as an industry focus on that. The foot moves from outside to inside and 99% of the population lands on the side of the shoe and roll over to centre and toe to take off. Because this material allows for the independent XXX, we slowed that rate – the slower the better, the faster the farther. The total product itself is the calumniation of all these great things we have learned over the last 4 years on Boost personified as it is today. 

Where does the motivation and ideas come from?

The motivation comes from everybody that works to make something better – that is what we strive to do! We want to make athletes better, the performance better – we are always looking to make something better. In this particular case, it was the idea of creating the world’s greatest running shoe. Also, there is a heavy element of design. Shoes are getting more simple in design from an aesthetic perspective, in this case it creates the form and the object in itself.

What has changed from the 80’s when people were running and playing tennis in Stan Smith and Gazelles until now?

Number one is concrete. Society became urbanised. The 70’s and 60’s in Europe even through the 80’s – you only ran off-road. It might be through fields or a farmer’s path but it was not on concrete. More and more people are moving to cities, so cities are getting bigger and that came into play for sure in the 80’s when running became more popular and races started getting bigger. It is the mixture of those things: People moving to the city and running on concrete. The products that were available before did not provide the same comfort and performance on concrete that they would have done off-road. You now see the trends of running barefoot and there is always the fashion aspect. You see a lot more people running today, women running more than men, and the growth is stronger on the women’s side than on the men’s side. There is a more social aspect to running than there was in the 90’s where it was just a stress release. Now people run for the fun of it. 

What is the technological difference between the 80’s shoes and this one?

I would say that chemical compound is the biggest and this a perfect case for this. The Ultra Boost’s ability to absorb impact and allow you to keep more of the energy you put into it.

From a woman’s perspective, what can this shoe do?

This shoe has an amazing fit, feel and transition. It works for men and for women. But for women it is especially the fit and the adaptability to the foot, whether it’s XXX or anatomical. The Ultra Boost allows for this perfect fit and transition.

 I have now had the shoe for a while and I have tested it thoroughly enough to be able to highly recommend it. It is soft, comfortable and FAST. The design is sleek and when I wear the shoe a lot of people comment positively on it. Early in the new year, I did a 10K race in the shoe but I look forward to testing it in a real race. Right now, I have got my eyes set on Paris Half Marathon next sunday and Berlin Half Marathon on March 31. The shoes is now in the stores, so go run after it… You won’t regret it! 

Get it here: ADIDAS.DK