inov-8 is launching a revolutionary world-first in the sports footwear market following a collaboration with scientific experts to bring Graphene to running and fitness shoes. The British brand, with a North American headquarters in Massachusetts, worked closely with The University of Manchester team that originally developed the material to become the first-ever company to do so.
In what may become a classic David vs Goliath story, this small brand aims to compete with much larger brands by working with groundbreaking scientists on this truly revolutionary material, said the company. “Graphene promises to change the way consumers think about outsole durability, flexibility and stickiness – wet or dry.”
Graphene – for whom the developers at the University of Manchester won the Nobel Prize in Physics – is considered one of the thinnest material on earth and is 200 times stronger than steel at a mere fraction of its weight. First isolated by the team in 2004, it’s the world’s first two-dimensional material at just one-atom thick and has the potential to revolutionize far more than just the sports world, with vast implications in the medical, electronics, automotive and aerospace industries. The collaboration resulted in inov-8’s patent-pending technology
“Product innovation is the number-one priority for our brand. It’s the only way we can compete against the major sports brands. The pioneering collaboration between inov-8 and the National Graphene Institute at The University of Manchester puts us at the forefront of a graphene-powered sports-footwear revolution,” said Inov-8 CEO Ian Bailey. 　”And this is just the start, as the potential of graphene really is limitless. We are so excited to see where this journey will take us.”
Graphene is produced from graphite, which was first mined in the Lake District fells of Northern England over 450 years ago.
“When added to the rubber used in inov-8’s G-Series shoes, graphene imparts all its properties, including its strength. Our unique formulation makes these outsoles 50% stronger, 50% more stretchy and 50% more resistant to wear than the corresponding industry standard rubber without graphene,” said Dr. Aravind Vijayaraghavan, Reader in Nanomaterials at the University of Manchester.
“The graphene-enhanced rubber can flex and grip to all surfaces more effectively,” he continues, “without wearing down quickly, providing reliably strong, long-lasting grip. This is a revolutionary consumer product that will have a huge impact on the sports footwear market.”
Laboratory tests have shown that the rubber outsoles of these shoes, which will come to market in summer of 2018, are 50% stronger, more durable and more flexible than traditional outsole materials on the market today. In lay terms that means the outsole should last twice as long as most current shoes with no weight or flexibility penalty.
“Off-road runners and fitness athletes live at the sporting extreme and need the stickiest outsole grip possible to optimize their performance, be that when running on wet trails or working out in sweaty gyms. For too long, they have had to compromise this need for grip with the knowledge that such rubber wears down quickly,” said Inov-8 Product and Marketing Director Michael Price.
“Now, utilizing the groundbreaking properties of graphene, there is no compromise,” he adds. “The new rubber we have developed with the National Graphene Institute allows us to smash the limits of grip. Our lightweight G-Series shoes deliver a combination of traction, flexibility and durability never seen before in sports footwear. 2018 will be the year of the World’s Toughest Grip.”
For more information on the Graphene Institute:
The University of Manchester: Ben Robinson, Graphene Communications & Marketing Officer, ben.robinson@manchester.ac.uk +44 (0)161 275 0134
