Jordan Brand - Athlete Research

work-in-progress Concepts for future projects

1. Memory Foam Upper, ongoing

At Nike’s Sport Research Lab for Jordan’s Heir Series project, our team reviewed data that concluded an average women’s foot size is narrower than a man’s. Due to manufacturing cost constraints, women’s footwear is typically developed on men’s lasts. Female athletes report too much wiggle room inside the shoe, which causes friction and blisters to develop more frequently than male athletes during play.

With the Jordan Heir Series being billed as budget model, the possibility of opening a narrower last for female players was not possible due to cost.

To alleviate the problem of extra space inside the upper, I proposed the creation of a rolled-good textile upper infused with a memory foam-like compression. I hypothesized a foam upper would conform around the athlete’s foot, filling gaps inside the upper to minimize the discomfort.

The above details a brief I sent to a supplier, requesting custom-developed swatches for a breathable, lightweight, memory foam-like material suitable for an upper application. The memory foam is encased by a net “shell” to provide abrasion resistance and durability.

The supplier wrote back to say such a material was not possible with their machinery. We then prototyped an upper with pre-existing sandwich mesh that had been redeveloped for a 7mm thickness, in hopes that it could mimic the memory-foam compressive capabilities. However, the material was not pliable enough conform around the upper.

A project ongoing, for future material development and testing.

Concept 2: Figure eight upper

This concept came from watching basketball players tape their ankles. Players wrap a self-adhering material along the forefoot and ankle in a figure eight pattern, to provide extra compression and stability. The wrap must not be too tight in fear of cutting off circulation, but tight enough for the foot to swell and increase blood flow and nutrients for tissue repair.

I researched current wrap materials on the market, made observations about their structure’s physical and mechanical properties and interviewed basketball players to understand how the wrap affects their comfort and play.

The “Figure Eight,” in the context of other sports such as dance and ballet:

Again, this was an early idea that was never realized, but I did look into braiding technology and other material structures that could mimic the figure eight form in hopes of bringing this research to future footwear concepts.

Basketball footwear features chart

This chart was developed to connect athlete movements with footwear features. This research is based on interviews with athletes, product line managers, technical product developers, and wear test analysts.