The leather football boots of yesteryear may have given way to those made with synthetic material, but Nike has found a way to fuse the two together for its new range of football boots.
In response to footballers who still appreciate the soft touch of leather and hold it in high regard, Nike began exploring the potential of fusing leather to its football boots, like the Hypervenom, and ultimately succeeded in creating a hybrid known as Nike Tech Craft.
The technology sees a thin layer of leather strategically placed at high ball-contact areas, such as the medial and lateral sides of the forefoot, that complements the Flyknit material founds on the other parts of the boot. The leather adds classic appeal and a soft touch that footballers can use to their advantage on the pitch.
Putting together leather and Flyknit is not easy, and great care was taken to ensure the softness of the leather was not compromised when it fused with the upper. The process also married classic craftsmanship with modern methodologies, as the team worked with sketch books, sandblasters lasers and computer programs to get the job done.
Here’s the video showing the production process behind Nike Tech Craft:
The Nike Tech Craft Hypervenom, Mercurial and Magista football boots can be found on players like Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain), Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal) and Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint-Germain). The shoes are available at Weston Corporation outlets and retail at S$499 each.