Under Armour makes rubber outsole obsolete

Imagine the feeling you get when you could keep running for miles. The feeling of wanting to keep going one more mile – because you feel so good. The feeling of light, effortless speed. The feeling of the wind at your back. Every runner is searching for that ‘flow state’.

Under Armour says it captured this feeling with its new Flow Velociti Wind running shoes. They are made of a responsive, grippy, and supportive singular-foam compound, which eliminates the need for a rubber outsole.

UA Flow came from the minds of UA’s footwear innovation team in Portland, Oregon in the US. They focused on the simple idea: how could they make it feel like the wind is at a runner’s back with every stride? The solution: think outside the box by eliminating the traditional rubber outsole completely, while providing comfort, flexibility and traction.

“Flow is smooth in every sense of the word,” says Tom Luedecke, creative director of footwear innovation at Under Armour. “It’s a smooth experience while running in the shoes. It’s a smooth feeling when going through the entire gate cycle and foot strike. And it also feels smooth in the sense that it is lacking distraction. There’s nothing there that is getting in the way of you and your flow state.”

Over 130 elite athletes ran more than 17,700 kilometres during the product wear testing phase of the UA Flow development process. Even without a traditional outsole, wear-testers found the shoes performed in any condition they faced – from wet cement to uneven gravel. 

“UA Flow is another huge leap forward for Under Armour—and it opens up the possibilities for future models and seasons,” says Josh Rattet, Under Armour VP of global footwear. “We have been deliberate and focused on our quest to build an authentic and credible run brand over the past few years, and the UA Flow Velociti Wind is truly a testament to our team’s commitment to creating solutions to make all runners better.”

Under Armour provided the following specifications on the :

• Weight: Men’s 9 – 8.5oz (214g) / Women’s 7 – 8.02oz (227g)
• Price: R3499
• Heel: 26mm
• Forefoot: 18mm
• Offset: 8mm

The UA Flow Velociti Wind will be available to the SA Market from 18 March and will be available on www.underarmour.co.za and Premium UA Brand Houses across the country.