Nike Tech Craft Soccer Boots

While tech advancements like Flyknit construction, Dynamic Fit collars, Flywire support, and lightweight synthetics have undoubtedly been good for the game, nothing in football can mimic the soft touch associated with good old leather. With that in mind, Nike is introducing brand new takes on its flagship boots. Dubbed Tech Craft, the new designs fuse leather construction with the likes of the Hypervenom, Magista, Mercurial and Tiempo as a thin layer of leather is strategically placed in high ball-contact areas on the medial and lateral sides of the forefoot — thus allowing each boot to retain its original aesthetic and performance attributes while incorporating the soft touch and classic appeal of leather.

“Tech Craft encompasses our “no-compromise” philosophy. Players don’t have to choose between materials like Flyknit and leather; they can have the benefits of both in one premium pair of boots,” says Nathan VanHook, Nike Football Senior Design Director. “This was a daunting project, as each of our boots have quite different uppers. The challenges of fusing leather onto Flyknit and loft mesh required numerous prototypes and various methods of application before we cracked the code… We cobble by pixel, working with sketch books and sandblasters but also lasers and computer programs. We needed every one of the tools available to us to bring Tech Craft to life.”

Nike’s Tech Craft boots will be available today, August 11 via the Nike Football App before hitting nike.com August 13 while the likes of Edinson Cavani, Alexis Sanchez and Blaise Matuidi will debut the kicks on the pitch over the weekend. In the meantime check out the Chris Read-directed video below which sheds light on Nike tech-driven craftsmanship.