Modular, modular, engineering, dismountable, sustainable. The new Nike sneakers tell the present and future of the brand. Belonging to Ispa, a line initially announced in 2018, in whose acronym – Improvise, Scavenge, Protect, Adapt – the philosophy with which Nike imagines its next half century of life is encapsulated. Ispa is a Nike design lab that challenges creators to experiment, break the mold, and re-imagine products. In this case, it helps bring Nike closer to its circular vision – a closed-loop system that produces no waste – to help protect the planet and the future of sport. “Designed in collaboration with engineering, creation, and digital product development, these shoes are completely updated in the manufacturing method: it is truly a case of form following function,” explains Darryl Matthews, VP, Catalyst Footwear Product Design. “Our hope is that these ideas and aesthetics become normal, accelerating our ability to imagine how shoes will continue to evolve in the future.”

The shoes – available from June – are equipped with assembly and disassembly parts that the customer can choose to return to the appropriate Nike stores for recycling. The particularity of the shoes lies in the construction of its silhouette made up of three interlocking modules connected without glue that can be disassembled and delivered to Nike stores offering the recycling and donation service.

The midsole is composed of pegs that adapt to the openings designed in the knitted fabric upper. To produce a pair of Links, the name of the new Nike sneakers, it takes about 8 minutes, as explained in the brand’s official statement: the shoe does not require a long gluing process, and its assembly takes place without the need for high-energy intensity conventional processes like cooling systems, heating, and conveyor belts.