The chemical company BASF lent its innovative technologies to the project, while the Taiwanese producer Longterm Concept contributed its intelligent automated processes, and Gu Guoyi, founder of abanana.design, with important collaborations that include the likes of Nike and Reebok to his credit, developed the design. Combining style and functionality, the result was the athleisure X-Swift shoe, which is suitable for wearing all day long, from the office to the gym.
What Basf technologies went into this shoe?
- an Elastollan® sole made from thermoplastic polyurethane that includes a grip-fast tread that optimises traction and guarantees maximum contact with surfaces;
- an Elastopan® midsole for shock-absorption and greater durability;
- a breathable Elastopan® arch support designed to work in tandem with the insole for high performance;
- an upper, which is a combination of synthetic and sustainable Haptex® leather with Freeflex® TPU fibre; materials that conform to the shape of the foot, requiring a minimum number of stitches, while ensuring comfort and maximum performance
“The footwear market is dynamic and fast. So, we must challenge ourselves every day, while exploring the boundaries of our materials. For this collaboration, we combined the quality of our most innovative materials, while prototyping it with the limitless potential of our new manufacturing technologies – commented Manfred Pawlowski, Vice President of consumer industry at Basf Performance Materials – A timeless, simple, and comfortable style, which includes a high performance sole, X-Swift is the ideal companion to all lovers of the athleisure style, and it changes the rules of the game, while empowering the future of footwear”.
Presented on BASF’s website, X-Swift will also be featured at the company’s stand at the 2019 Chinaplas fair.
