Nike ISPA Link: Release Info & Look at ISPA Division
Nike's ISPA division started a few years ago with releases like the Vapormax Gator, Drift Spilt and Space Hippie range. With the Nike ISPA Link release around the corner, here's a look at Nike's revolutionary division that's reusing, repurposing and making everyone reimagine what footwear should be.
WHAT IS ISPA?
ISPA is a philosophy: Improvise. Scavenge. Protect. Adapt. These principles guide design for the Nike ISPA team, manifesting as the pinnacle of experimental design across all categories. It's this division that challenges its creators to experiment, break moulds and reimagine products. The results are revolutionary-looking products that also move Nike closer to its circular vision - a closed-loop system that has no waste, to help protect the planet and the future.
Here's a look at the 4 pillars of ISPA, as described by Nike, as well as the upcoming Nike ISPA Link dropping this Friday 22 July.
Improvise
Never stop at the first answer to a problem. Improvise in order to find the newest solution, pulling inspiration from the built environment.
Scavenge
To find the materials you need, Scavenge and pull from the best available options to solve the problem. Use and reuse materials wisely.
Protect
Your solution must Protect against the problem. This is where theory becomes practice, and the solution becomes a real-world application.
Adapt
Adapt all solutions to fit their broadest potential. Our answer must be versatile, durable, resourceful and functional in the built environment.
Now that you have a brief understanding od ISPA's guiding pillars of purpose, you'll see why the latest release from Nike's division is meant to be taken apart for a truly circular product.
The ISPA team considered the circular design principle of “disassembly,” or the ability to easily take a product apart to recycle its contents, one of the more challenging principles to implement in footwear design.
“Designed in partnership with engineering, digital product creation and development, these shoes are completely informed by method of make — it really is a case of form following function,” says Darryl Matthews, VP, Catalyst Footwear Product Design. “Our hope is that these ideas and aesthetics become normalized, accelerating our ability to imagine how shoes will continue to evolve in the future.”
A good shoe is flexible and durable. Traditionally, designers use glue and other bonding elements to achieve these aims, but that makes a shoe nearly impossible to disassemble and recycle. Recycling shoes usually requires shredding, an energy-intensive process that limits how the recycled materials can be used. Creating a shoe that can be taken apart would reduce the carbon footprint of the product and open up new possibilities for its life cycle. The ISPA team tackled the disassembly challenge.
Arriving in Off-Noir and Limelight with just 2 pieces, zero glue and a whole lot of comfort - the ISPA Link will change how you think about shoes. Constructed with interlocking components and guided by Nike's circular-design philosophy, each pair is created with the intent to use as few materials as possible. But don't worry - even with this stripped-down design, the underfoot sensation is pure bliss.
Your foot rests right on top of the ultra-soft foam midsole. An airy knit upper creates a bootie-like fit that hugs your foot with every step. Get going, keep going, it's as easy as 1, 2. And when you're finished, there's no need to take them apart. Finished with them? Globally, you can drop them off at a participating Nike Store in to help extend their life. There are no South African drop-off spots yet but no doubt the project will be expanded worldwide soon.
The Nike ISPA Link in Off-Noir/ Limelight drops Friday 22 July for R4199 in CPT, JHB and online.
First come first serve. Online at 7am, stores from 10am.
Sizes: UK6, UK7, UK8, UK9, UK10, UK11.