Athletic footwear: demand for speed is driving innovation

February 2018 | 43 pages | ID: A8199CB9BBAEN
Textiles Intelligence Ltd

Abstracts

Athletic footwear is first and foremost designed to help athletes to perform at their best, but it is being worn increasingly by consumers as part of day to day wear. Indeed, consumers enjoy the casual style of athletic footwear as well as the comfort it provides. The market for athletic footwear is fiercely competitive, and there is high pressure on providers of athletic footwear to release new and innovative products to the market in very short time frames. Also, there is a high level of consumer demand for customised products—as young consumers in particular seek unique products. Such pressures pose significant challenges as the footwear industry is heavily reliant on manufacturing facilities in Asia, as well as labour intensive manufacturing processes. These challenges have prompted several major companies to invest significantly in automated manufacturing and in research and development (R&D) operations, and these efforts have resulted in innovations such as knitted uppers which can be produced as a single piece as well as shoe components made using additive manufacturing processes such as 3D printing. Furthermore, advances have been made in the development of new materials for the manufacture of footwear, including environmentally sustainable alternatives to leather, and fibres made from recycled waste materials. This report provides a wealth of information on the market for athletic footwear, innovations in athletic footwear, and developments in the manufacture of athletic footwear. The report also features information on: the key players in the athletic footwear industry; endorsements, sponsorship and celebrity collaboration; customisation; the anatomy of athletic footwear; specialist types of athletic footwear; key properties of athletic footwear; materials used in the manufacture of athletic footwear; innovations in materials for athletic footwear; and the outlook for the athletic footwear market.

Contents

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

MARKET FOR ATHLETIC FOOTWEAR

Factors affecting growth
Retail channels

ATHLETIC FOOTWEAR: KEY COMPANIES

Key companies: financial performance

ENDORSEMENTS, SPONSORSHIP AND CELEBRITY COLLABORATION

Sponsorship of athletes and events
Collaboration with celebrities
Collaborations with fashion brands and designers

CUSTOMISATION

Under Armour: UA Icon
Adidas: Adidas Glitch and mi adidas
Adidas Glitch
mi adidas
Nike: NikeiD
Reebok: YourReebok
New Balance: NB1 Customise

ANATOMY OF A SHOE

Construction

TYPES OF SPECIALIST ATHLETIC FOOTWEAR

Aerobics shoes
Baseball shoes
Basketball shoes
Cross training shoes
Football boots
Golf shoes
Hiking and walking boots
Materials used
Running shoes

KEY PROPERTIES OF ATHLETIC FOOTWEAR

Comfortable fit
Moisture management
Durability
Weight
Water resistance
Visibility
Support

MATERIALS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ATHLETIC FOOTWEAR

Cotton
Polyester
Polyamide
Wool
Leather and synthetic leather
Fibres made from recycled materials

INNOVATIONS IN MATERIALS FOR ATHLETIC FOOTWEAR

AMSilk: Biosteel
Asics and Toray Industries: Chameleoid Mesh fabric
ECCO Leather: Apparition and Dyneema Bonded Leather
Modern Meadow: Zoa
Nike: Flyleather

ADVANCES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ATHLETIC FOOTWEAR

Adidas: Speedfactory
Speedfactory footwear styles
Under Armour: UA PDX
Manufacturing techniques: knitted footwear
Nike Flyknit
Adidas: Primeknit
Additive manufacturing
Adidas: Futurecraft 4D
Nike: Nike Zoom Superfly Flyknit
New Balance: Zante Generate
Reebok: Liquid Factory

OUTLOOK

List Of Tables

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Adidas: locations of footwear manufacturing facilities, July 2017

List Of Figures

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Puma x Sophia Webster Women’s Pearl Cage Mid shoe
Figure 2: Asics X Liberty Fabrics Collection GEL-Fit Sana 3 SE
Figure 3: Adidas Futurecraft Biofabric prototype performance shoe
Figure 4: Chameleoid Mesh fabric
Figure 5: Nike Flyleather Tennis Classic trainer
Figure 6: Nike Flyknit knitted upper
Figure 7: Adidas Originals NMD_R1 Primeknit Shoes
Figure 8: Adidas Men’s Nemeziz 17+ 360 Agility Soft Ground Boots
Figure 9: Diagram of CLIP technology
Figure 10: Adidas Futurecraft 4D footwear
Figure 11: Nike Zoom Superfly Flyknit
Figure 12: New Balance Zante Generate
Figure 13: Reebok Liquid Speed