Hasta La Ideas

Desert boots get the high-tech soles in a new LunarGrand collection

As a follow up to the LunarGrand Wingtip, Cole Haan is launching a line of LunarGrand Chukkas at their SoHo store in NYC this week. The shoes sport a nubuck upper that is paired with Nike‘s Lunarlon sole for a combination of classic style and modern functionality. The ribbed soles are incredibly lightweight, deceptively comfortable and use micro-diamond tread for grip that is a cut above leather soles.

While the wingtips come in suede and leather options, the chukkas are outfitted with a soft nubuck leather. Some nice details set the shoes apart, including the rawhide laces that are fitted with metal tips that must be unscrewed to change out laces. Developed for WWII British soldiers in North Africa and made iconic by the likes of Steve McQueen, the chukka has a rare personality that can transition from dress to casual.

Another curious detail is the welted sole—a construction element practically unheard of in the sneaker world. Cole Haan’s elegant logo is printed on the footbed and can be found on the metal lace tips as well. Three eyelets—as opposed to the traditional two—have been given to the chukkas.

Available in both men’s and women’s styles, the shoes come in eight total colorways. The women’s is equipped with a slightly higher ankle and curvier profile, though the two are otherwise comparable. Simplicity certainly dominates the look, although a small amount of broguing on the tongue reveals contrast leather beneath.

The LunarGrand Chukka sells for $298 at Cole Haan Soho beginning Thursday, 3 May 2012. While currently unavailable online, we expect them to follow in the path of the wingtip predecessors and make it to the LunarGrand section of Cole Haan’s online shop.

Cole Haan Soho

128 Prince Street

New York, NY 10012

Behind the scenes with the NYC-based footwear brand’s founder and designer Ce Ce Chin

Proving that fashion and function can indeed go hand in hand, 80%20 stands out as a chic, everyday answer to the often painful women’s heel. What started as a girl’s spin on what sneaker-heads and skaters were wearing has grown into a much more mature and fashion-focused footwear line for ladies. While the Vans-inspired styles have evolved into a more formal silhouette, the emphasis on comfort and wearability has remained a constant. To get a better feel for this continuous progression we recently caught up with founder and creative director Ce Ce Chin at her studio.

Looking out onto midtown Manhattan, Chin’s Fashion District design studio maintains a sense of order, with only a few inspiration boards hinting to the free-flowing creativity at the heart of the operation. Neatly tucked away behind closet doors is an endless collection of sample shoes, swatches and objects—offering somewhat of a parallel to the designer’s signature style, the Original Hidden Wedge.

Chin describes her design process as “non-linear”, mocking up ideas, sketches and digital models as she goes, and using her unique masking tape technique. Covering current shoe styles in tape allows the designer to create a 3D drawing board of sorts, turning her ideas into a model she can hold in her hands before resorting to an actual prototype. The freedom of adjustment during the design process allows Chin and her team to toy with ideas and colorways, keeping 80%20’s playful attitude going from ideation to production.

As shown in her design methods, Chin says she has always learned better through experience than by regimented task-driven assignments, a style that ultimately led the designer from her hometown in the Midwest to experiment with design in NYC, where her grandfather and father had grown up. Fifteen years later, Chin—who lives in her grandfather’s third-generation Chinatown apartment—has made a name for herself among what she calls the male “shoe dogs”.

Chin sees a future of exploration and expansion for 80%20, aiming to introduce more silhouettes and materials for upcoming collections, like Hudson Bay-inspired colorways and cork-molded footbeds on a high-heeled platform for Fall 2012. As far as inspiration goes, Chin says she prefers to “build based on what works, but shaped on the current vernacular.” With this in mind, the line seems poised to continue introducing innovative new styles that still follow the 80%20 mantra of designing for everyday use.

For a closer look at the 80%20 design studio check the gallery below.

Sneakers embedded with pressure sensors and accelerometers bring all-new opportunities for athletic performance tracking

Originally unveiled in 2006, Nike+ has grown to a committed community of over six million digitally connected users. To build upon this concrete foundation Nike has today announced the Nike+ basketball and training shoes embedded with pressure sensors and accelerometers to collect previously unmeasurable, movement-based statistics across multiple levels of speed and agility. The groundbreaking technology is the next step in building a robust ecosystem, in compliment with the innovative Nike FuelBand and specialized Nike+ mobile apps. While these first shoes and apps are focused on basketball and training, this massive innovation represents the beginning of an entirely new chapter in sport measurement and motivation.

The first sneakers to feature the sensor technology are the Hyperdunk+ basketball shoe and the Lunar Hyperworkout+ and Lunar TR1+ training shoes. In all three shoes four embedded sensors—toe, heel, ball and outer foot—work with an internal accelerometer to accurately measure movement and relay stats to your iPhone wirelessly. The three-axis accelerometer and Bluetooth sensor are contained in a removable disc that lasts for about 40 hours between charges, which are achieved using the included USB adapter. An innovation from Nike’s “Kitchen,” this measurement technology isn’t new—it has been used extensively in design research to better understand how athletes move. The revolution comes from the company’s ability to bring this innovation to consumers in a usable and exciting form.

While the sensor arrays are the same in all shoes, the Nike+ apps the data is sent to provide the different approaches to tracking, motivation and sharing data. Nike+ Basketball lets you know how high you jump, how quick you run, and how hard you play. In addition to these precise stats a universal NikeFuel score is captured—all allowing the user to compare to previous games plus general exercise with their friends.

The Nike+ Training platform takes the same approach, quantifying each and every movement, shuffle, step, lunge and jump. For training, however, the app features videos of pro athletes coaching you through a series of workouts dynamically sequenced based on your fitness goals. The data captured from these workouts not only provides the measurement necessary to set new goals and improve, but also statistics to share with friends or competitors.

All the data gathered is meant not only to impress but to inspire. By making a workout into something close to a game, feelings will positively shift to improve performance and dedication. To fully understand what the latest Nike+ advancements mean for the company, consider President and CEO Mark Parker’s general but bold statement: “It’s about much more than a shoe. It represents a shift for Nike from product, to product plus experience.”

The Nike+ Pressure Sensor enabled Hyperdunk+, Hyperworkout+ and Lunar TR1+ will debut in specialty shops come 29 June, 2012.

photos by Josh Rubin

Innovations in sustainability and design unveiled and immediately remixed

As the most innovative company in athletic equipment and sporting lifestyle, Nike rarely leaves a year’s calendar unmarked by groundbreaking product launches. This time around the brand has just unveiled a slew of Olympic-focused, sustainably-driven innovations for the upcoming 2012 summer games in London. Of the products announced the ultra-lightweight Flyknit running shoes have drawn much attention weighing in at only 160g, with the HTM variant designed by the wonder-trio Hiroshi Fujiwara, Tinker Hatfield and Mark Parker taking center stage among those equally interested in performance and style.

To eliminate material waste during production the one piece upper on all Flyknits is constructed of a woven yarn specially engineered to produce an unbelievably lightweight, ultra-breathable, formfitting shoe that performs like a second skin. Upholding both the sustainability and performance hallmarks of the broad-release Flyknits, the HTM Flyknits are upgraded with a handful of tweaks to raise the design bar.

The marathon-centric HTM Racer maintains the standardized form and function while sporting the US Track and Field team shade of blue. Conversely, the HTM Trainer+ comes in two black-and-white variants and features the ever-comfortable Lunarlon midsole while also integrating the tongue into the shoe’s body for a glove-like fit. This adjustment also increases surface area for potential personalization with knit-in numbers.

Although not available yet, the Nike Flyknit technology will be released for general consumption by July 2012 in time for the London Summer Olympics.

photos by Josh Rubin

Five unconventional takes on men’s formal footwear

While many menswear designers continue to rethink heritage workwear styling, others are returning to the classics to find inspiration in formal footwear. Recent dress shoe design toys with tradition with daring moves toward bold soles and contrasting patterns. Pioneered by the likes of Mark McNairy, many designers have offered their take in new collections, promoting a playful side of menswear. Here are five of our favorite styles from the Fall 2012 collections.

Florsheim by Duckie Brown

A new design from the Fall/Winter 2012 collection set to debut at New York Fashion Week, the Wedge Brogue blends current trends with mountaineering style eyelets, an exaggerated PU sole and warm color for a truly contemporary take on the classic longwing style. The standout design aims to bring a bit of life to the onset of winter next season.

Mark McNairy

Straying from the neon Vibram sole that’s become synonymous with the McNairy name, these suede longwings still manage the signature flair without the overwhelming color palette. Traditionally a rather formal design, the classic silhouette is dressed down nicely here with a platform sole and contrasting green suede upper for a strong look.

Caminando

Similarly tackling the full brogue, the Tokyo-based brand Caminando injects significant aesthetic impact into a simple idea. Although the colors are a bit tame compared to the rest, the jagged sole on the Wingtip Ripple makes them an a key piece in dressing up an understated outfit.

Swear

Bright without being ostentatious, the simple Lou 4 features a brilliant blue PU sole in contrast against the perfectly clean black leather upper. The resulting aesthetic exudes easy confidence.

GRAM

The 380g insjön runner takes its distinct look from fabric woven by Insjöns Väveri, the sole fabric makers for the Swedish Royal Court. Woven on 1930s-era looms, the heavy-duty cotton and linen blend makes the collaboration shoe an elegant, fun and extremely durable choice.