20 years in the making, the new F-FLY brings together everything we have learned over the past two decades, culminating in the ultimate hybrid training shoe for those who love lightweight footwear.
From treadmill running and cardio sessions to lightweight barbell work and rope climbs, this shoe has been designed to do it all.
In this blog post we take you behind the design of the F-FLY in a Q&A with Graham Jordison - our Head of Product Design, Footwear - who has worked for INOV8 since day one back in 2003!
1. How much fun was it to design the new F-Fly?
The F-FLY was a really fun shoe to work on since this was the first design where I used VR to help create the sole unit tooling. Being able to directly transfer visual ideation into 3D form significantly helped communicate the design intent to the manufacturer.
2. What make this one different from previous F-Lite 245 iteration?
In going from a full knit upper to a fully engineered mesh upper, we’ve increased the comfort and created more zonal functionality. To help support the upper, we’ve added a 3D printed cradle and flexible randing. And, of course, as with all our new shoes in 2024, it is designed on the new anatomical last (the foot form around which the shoe is constructed) which is more foot-shaped and enhances both comfort and performance.
3. Why was it named F-Fly rather than F-Lite?
The name was updated to help separate the franchise from the other F-LITE shoes in the range which have less of a cardio focus on them.
4. Given the competitive nature of the training adn fitness market, how do your designs on this shoe stand out?
By staying true to our design philosophy, which has always been about not inhibiting the natural function of the foot, we have created a shoe which isn’t over engineered like a lot of the competition. The shoe still retains key functional elements.
5. What was the most challenging part in designing this shoe?
Similar to the BARE-XF update, the F-FLY has a very minimal construction and so not adding unnecessary elements was the biggest challenge. It’s always a challenge to update (or fix) a franchise when a lot view it as unbroken.
6. Tell us more about what sites under the feet in this shoe and the benefits the design in this area brings when working out?
The midsole uses a new POWERFLOW PRO compound which has increased resilience over the previous compound resulting in a shoe that feels more comfortable underfoot over longer periods of time.
7. What about the upper of the shoe, talk us through the design and thought process behind that.
We’ve kept with the one piece upper but this time we’ve used an engineered mesh that focuses on providing comfort, breathability and durability in the key areas. We’ve also utilized a 3D printed upper for the randing and cradle to reduce the weight but keep the right amount of supportive structure.
8. Did the design of the shoe influence the colorway selections?
The simplicity of the design makes this shoe very wearable outside of the gym and so colors of a more lifestyle nature lend themselves really well to the F-FLY silhouette.
9. Finally, you've worked for INOV8 from the very start, what are your three favourite training shoe designs from those 20+ years?
My favorite training shoe I’ve designed has to be the FASTLIFT 325. As an industrial designer, creating a lightweight lifter with strength and stability was a good challenge and allowed us to be the first to bring new materials and design to an area that had long been very traditional in construction methods.
Second to this would have to be the F-LITE 230. The story of the shoe speaks to its versatility. While it was originally designed to be a mountain racing flat, it was adopted by the functional fitness community when the sport was just taking off. This gave us a good platform into the training space.
And finally, I’d have to give the BARE-XF a mention in the top three since this shoe personifies a lot of what we are about as a brand in providing tools that allow the end user to perform at their best.
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Behind The Design – BARE XF