#FactsFriday: Nike React Element 87

With the Nike React Element 87 releasing tomorrow morning via in store raffles, it’s fitting we take a look at the sneaker in more detail to fully understand the hype. 

 

The Nike React Element 87 silhouette was originally debuted as a preview for a collaboration with the Japanese brand, Undercover. While those 5 Undercover colourways spread like wildfire across the internet, it was the revealed Anthracite and Sail general release colourways that had the whole world excited. 



 

The Nike React Element utilises Nike’s new React foam technology. This, combined with its futuristic aesthetic and eclectic design quirks, makes the React Element one of the most talked about shoes of 2018. It completely owned the various Fashion Weeks this year and doesn’t show any sign of slowing down.



The design process that started this revolutionary sneaker is best described by the brand themselves, “Many classic Nike shoes were born from a simple desire: to make running and walking more comfortable. The Nike React Element 87 is one such shoe that also owes its geometric design to data drawn from everyday athletes.”

 

Work on the React Element began by pressure map testing individuals who walk heavily throughout the day. These maps showed Nike the points where feet experience the most fatigue from commuting, running errands, etc. The designers then drilled holes into these spots on running shoe soles and repeated the process with Nike React foam for added comfort.



These pressure maps played a huge role in eventual appearance of the shoe too. It provided the framework for the trademark wavy sole pattern. Nike’s Sportswear Innovation Designer, Darryl Matthews, applied the algorithmic pattern to the outsole. This resulted in a curvy stamp design that communicates movement.

 

‘After receiving this data, I worked on a two-day sketch,’ says Matthews. ‘The whole process was really a back-to-basics exercise that taught us new ways to make a shoe look and feel great, while also harnessing the power of cutting-edge computation design.’



 

The sneaker is also a hybrid of sorts. It takes inspiration from the original 1983 Nike Internationalist in terms of the tongue, toe, and heel clip. The React Element also has a translucent textile and asymmetrical tongue similar to last year’s Zoom Fly SP upper. The upper is in fact made from 100 per cent TPE yarn textiles, creating a new experience in fit and support.



Speaking on the uniqueness of the new React model, Matthews said, ‘People are drawn to the shoe, because it has layers,’ It's not a flat shoe, and the way it looks depends on the socks you wear. It’s like when Nike exposed the Air bag, except now we’re able to expose the inside of the shoe, too.”



The Nike React Element 87 drops tomorrow morning 14 July 2018 via live raffle at both our CPT and JHB stores. Raffle bands will be handed out from 09:00, with the raffle starting after 09:30. Good luck!