Retail News

BASF, Longterm Concept, and Gu Guoyi Introduce A High Tech Sport Shoe

BASF, Longterm Concept, and Gu Guoyi have collaborated to develop X-Swift - a newly designed athleisure shoe that combines four of BASF's advanced material innovations  one shoe using the latest footwear automation technology.

The design is  multi-purpose; allowing individuals to wear the same pair of shoes to work, and their next work-out.

Longterm Concept, a  Taiwanese shoe manufacturer that specializes in an automated and intelligent footwear production process, used the latest automation technology to integrate different footwear automation processes and fuse four different advanced BASF materials cost-effectively. The process also enables a quicker production time compared to conventional footwear manufacturing techniques.

The demand for new shoe designs is growing at a fast speed. Our process fundamentally changes the way that shoes are made and opens up brand new possibilities both for what we can create and the speed with which we can create it. The name X-Swift aptly reflects the speed of production, and how it mirrors our fast-paced lifestyle," said Mr. Darren Shih, Innovation Director, Longterm Concept.

Each of the advanced and high-performance material solutions from BASF in the athleisure shoe complements each other in their own way. The result is a shoe with better stability and support for the feet:

  • The outsole made of Elastollan -Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) incorporates a high grip tread pattern to optimize traction and provide maximum surface contact.

  • X-SwiftÍs midsole features the high rebound polyurethane Elastopan -  for excellent cushioning and durability, which is superior to conventional midsoles.

  • The midsole is complemented by a unique, breathable insole made of Elastopan that is engineered to work with the high-performance sock liner.

  • X-Swift also features an innovative, two-piece material upper construction which is a combination of sustainable synthetic leather Haptex - and fiber made with Freeflex» TPU. The materials conform to the foot using minimal seams and stitch lines to provide superior comfort and maximum performance.

 

"For this co-creation, we are meshing the qualities of our state-of-the-art footwear materials, and prototyping with the limitless potential of new manufacturing technologies," said Manfred Pawlowski, Vice President, Consumer Industry, BASF Performance Materials.
 

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