This Sneaker With No Heel Won a Design Prize
HEEL THYSELF: Have you ever worn down the heels on your favorite sneakers?
Chinese activewear firm Li-Ning went one step further and created a running shoe completely lacking heels, the concept being that this reduces the weight of the midsole, improves the rebound performance and extends the life of the footwear.
More from WWD
The conceptual shoe, dubbed the Dragonflight, is to receive an IF Design Award during a ceremony May 15 at the Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin, winning in the category of “professional concepts.”
Discussions about commercializing the Dragonflight are underway, and so far, no athlete has donned the offbeat-looking sneakers for any recent marathon.
The nonprofit IF Design Foundation, which promotes design and its social significance, received almost 11,000 entries from 56 countries for its 2023 edition.
According to the foundation, the Dragonflight’s unique design ensures “acceleration efficiency and speed performance,” while foregoing a heel is a “research-supported choice for propulsion optimization.”
Carbon plates are embedded in the shoe for propulsion, while the midsole is engineered with “high rebound tech.…It creates a refreshing presentation of running shoe design,” it added.
Other categories for design prizes include interior architecture, user experience and branding. The jury numbers 132 high-profile design experts from some 20 countries.
Best of WWD
