Since Nike introduced Flyknit in 2012, the ongoing trend of woven and knit uppers on footwear has flourished to become an industry standard. There was no denying that woven uppers were a hit on the lifestyle market, but eventually brands began to truly hone in on the performance aspects of the seamless and uber-lightweight materials.
In 2014, Nike unveiled the Mercurial Superfly and Magista, the brand’s first ever football boot with a Flyknit upper. Since then, adidas has followed suit with Primeknit in an effort to achieve the “barefoot” playing feel. That said, are these woven uppers a permanent phase, or will the industry’s leaders begin experimenting with other materials? Read more on the Dick’s Sporting Goods blog.