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Attention for those who may have considered investing their design talents in sneaker design: You can spend $30 on a pair of plain-jane running shoes, or drop $150 on a super-designed pair, but guess what? They do the same thing. A recent British study has found that despite what marketers tell you, expensive kicks do nothing to improve your running performance, and the cushioning in cheap vs. expensive kicks is basically identical.
Your correspondent once freelanced for a well-known sneaker company that will remain anonymous, and never forgot the design brief given by the department head: "Make sure the kids can see them from across the street." Springs, velcro, air pockets and gels notwithstanding, sneaker design is about flash, not function.
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Comments
What about innovations like the Nike Shox? 14 years in development for flash? or was that also marketing hype?
Does Nike Shox work better than other running shoe design? Was the motivation behind the 14 years of development 'reduction in injury and improvement of comfort,' and did Shox succeed on those counts?
basically the cheaper shoes had lower plantar pressure which means they are using a softer cushioning which will compress over time, reducing its efficacy. but which ones last longer & which ones have the right support in the right places. Which models of shoes are being tested and which ones are lighter? Build quality and materials also play into cost.
From what I understand nike shox don't provide any performance improvement, they are purely a design detail, and if anything they make the shoe heavier.
Those are great questions, which I dont know the answers to. Anyone from Nike to shed some light?
come on now. think about it. is cushioning the only thing runners look for? what about support, longevity, heel to toe off, stiffness, flex zones, torque, step in comfort, seamless construction, reflectivity etc etc etc that all provide function before fashion. This report details only cushioning - the idea being more is necessarily better. but more cush can increase stiffness and cause many injuries. the big running companies look for the optimum level, with tight quality control therefore increasing the cost as each pair of the same model you buy should provide the same feel as the last. nike shox - shear forces anyone?
if you're a DESIGNER function should not be your concern. you DESIGN the styling. you're not an engineer.
I'm calling bull on this report, they study seems really limited. Anyway running is about the right tool for the right person. Any running shoe store worth their weight will not sell you a shoe just because it "looks cool". Everybody runs differently [your stride is as unique as your fingerprint] and certain shoes will work for certain people.
For the casually runner the more expensive shoes may not be worth it, but anybody that puts in serious mileage I'm pretty sure will tell you that picking up any old pair of shoes just doesn't cut it.
I WOULD DESIGN SNEAKER AND WARM UP SUITS
How does one become a freelancer for a sneaker company?