In their never ending pursuit of creating functional, sustainable and premium shoes, Nike has introduces the new new Flyleather. Durable but light and engineered for performance, the Nike Flyleather is a new super material made with at least 50 percent recycled natural leather fiber and water power.
Because the carbon foot print of making any product can be extensive, Nike is reducing their waste output by taking the often discarded yet perfectly fine materials that often get tossed out during the manufacturing process. When it comes to leather it can total a staggering 30 percent of a cow’s hide being discarded. Nike has taken the discarded leather scrap from the floor of tanneries and has turned them into usable fibers. From there the recycled leather fibers are combined with synthetic fibers and a fabric infrastructure via a hydro process with a force that’s so strong it fuses everything into one material. At that point, the material goes through a finishing process, which can include things like pigmentation, and is completed by being put on a roll to be cut. The end product from this new process is a material that feels and looks like premium leather.
“Nike Flyleather completely mimics athletic, pigmented full-grain leathers in everything from fit to touch,” says Tony Bignell, Nike VP of Footwear Innovation. “Unlike with traditional leathers, Flyleather can be produced with a consistent grade across a broader range of product.”
To celebrate the release of the new Flyleather, Nike will be releasing a limited edition run of sneakers including Air Force 1, Air Max 90, Cortez, Jordan 1, and the Tennis Classic. All the shoes are made in Oregon and will be seen in New York during Climate Week NYC with limited selection being available at NikeLab 21Mercer.