Nike Flyknit: Lightweight Trainers Woven From Yarn

Nike has spent the last few days unveiling some of its latest technology, with the focus firmly on lighter products and more sustainable manufacturing. At the centre of it all is Nike Flyknit, a new way of creating trainer uppers using specially engineered yarn.

Rather than cutting and stitching together multiple pieces of material, Flyknit allows Nike to knit the upper almost as a single piece. Different areas can be made tighter or more flexible depending on where the foot needs support, while the lack of traditional panels and seams helps reduce both weight and material waste.

The result is a virtually seamless upper that should fit more closely around the foot without adding unnecessary bulk.

It is primarily being introduced as a performance technology for running and fitness footwear, but the possibilities go much further than that.

Different colours, patterns and levels of support can all be incorporated directly into the knit, giving Nike plenty of freedom to experiment with both performance and style. We would be surprised if Flyknit did not become as much a fashion feature as a sporting one.

Nike has already started exploring that side of it through HTM, the collaborative project involving Hiroshi Fujiwara, Tinker Hatfield and Nike CEO Mark Parker.

Alongside Flyknit, Nike has also revealed further progress in its use of recycled materials. Its Hyper Elite basketball shorts are now made from 100% recycled polyester, while the accompanying jerseys use around 96%.

Nike says each full uniform uses the equivalent of roughly 22 recycled plastic bottles.

That is a fairly impressive amount of waste kept away from landfill — and it proves sustainable sportswear does not have to look like it was made from old carrier bags.

The first Flyknit models are expected to arrive in shops around the time of the London 2012 Olympics.

If the technology performs as well as it looks, expect to see a lot more knitted trainers in the years ahead.