Nike's New Atsuma Aims to Reduce Material Waste

Cutting patterns for athletic footwear produces a tremendous amount of material waste, so Nike is aiming to increase pattern efficiency with its new Atsuma lifestyle silhouette. A design that uses offcuts — pieces of material that are normally discarded when a pattern is cut — as part of its layered look, the Atsuma is an exercise in sustainability and the use of negative space alike.

Dressed in a color scheme that combines elegant black and tan with vibrant orange, blue and teal detailing, the Atsuma offers an inversed look on its lateral and medial sides, using the aforementioned negative space provided by offcuts in compelling fashion. The most noticeable example of this ethos arrives via the Swoosh, which is standard on the outer half but mirrored on the inner half, thanks to its cut-out iteration’s presence on the quarter panel.

Wavy heel and forefoot overlays that let no extra material go to waste add to the stacked stylings, and even the blue rubber hangtag is made of a cut-out section from the outsole. Cursive Atsuma logos accented with Swooshes appear on the heel and left tongue, a white Phylon foam midsole provides comfort, and a recycled sockliner with a clever three-Swoosh graphic that’s also used on the right tongue completes the look both literally and figuratively.

The Nike Atsuma is set to release via Nike’s webstore on January 1. A retail price has yet to be announced.

Atsumas aren’t the only conceptual silhouette on the way from Nike: the brand recently unveiled a slide sandal version of the ever-influential Air Max 90.