X-Swift, New Athleisure Shoe Designed with BASF High Performance Material Solutions
BASF, Longterm Concept, and Gu Guoyi have collaborated to develop X-Swift - a newly designed athleisure shoe that showcases four outstanding BASF advanced material innovations fused into one shoe with the latest footwear automation technology.
The X-Swift is collaboratively designed by renowned footwear designer Gu Guoyi and BASF’s Creation Center, BASF’s dedicated touch-point for engaging and inspiring designers, bridging the gap between conceptual ideas of creators and the technical possibilities offered by BASF.
The design is also multi-purpose; allowing individuals to wear the same pair of shoes to work, and their next work-out.
Longterm Concept, a leading 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.
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-Swift’s 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.
The X-Swift will be on display at BASF’s booth during CHINAPLAS 2019 and will be featured as part of its series of tech talks organized at the booth.
For more information, please visit www.basf.com
