Adidas “prime knit” 2.0: higher productivity for footwear uppers

Problem

The traditional method of constructing sports shoes involved piecing together different parts, which resulted in a less-than-perfect fit and was not sustainable. adidas wanted to create a shoe that would provide maximum performance benefits while also being environmentally friendly and increase their productivity considering the flat knitting machines were to slow. To achieve this goal, adidas needed to re-engineer the knitting process of shoe uppers. The challenge was to find a way to knit the entire upper in one continuous piece while ensuring lightness, form-fitting, sustainability, and breathability.

Solution

Adidas teamed up with Santoni Mecmor, the most complete knitwear machine in circular motion. Together they re-engineered the knitting process of shoe uppers using technical yarns and dedicated meshes for breathability and high performance. The result was adizero Primeknit - a first-of-its-kind running shoe that is digitally knitted in one continuous piece. This revolutionary design provides maximum performance benefits while also being environmentally friendly.

Impact

•  increase in sales since launch
•  reduction in waste due to controlled wastage and recycled yarns

“This revolutionary design will forever change the way we engineer shoes, combining both premium innovation and maximum performance benefits.”

My role

• Oversaw the re-engineering of the knitting process
• ensure seamless integration of technical and environmentally friendly yarns for dedicated meshes
• Collaborated with the engineering team to find sustainable solutions for every aspect of the shoe's design.
• for more detailed info please visti : https://www.innovationintextiles.com/santoni-introduces-new-mecmor-machine-for-footwear/