Thus far, Nike's public involvement in 3D-printed footwear has included a football cleat prototype and vague hints at the future, but CEO Mark Parker says there's a lot more going on behind the scenes than most people might think.
"We’ve been involved with 3D-printing for three or four years now, creating prototypes and products with 3D-printed parts for athletes," Parker said in a recent interview with Hypebeast. Parker says that Nike plans to unveil more 3D-printed shoes at this year's Rio Olympics, and you can probably expect a few more surprises there too.
The most exciting part, however, might be that Parker says Nike's working on a 3D-printed version of the ever-popular Flyknit technology. "I think you’re going to see combinations of Flyknit and 3D-printing in the same product," Parker said, explaining that the brand will emphasize speedy product customization as technology moves forward.
As if that wasn't already enough reason to be hyped for the future, it sounds like there are some even bigger things in the works that the CEO can't yet discuss. "There are some things we're working on that I can’t really talk about at this stage, but as a designer they are both exciting and game-changing as far as the industry goes," Parker said.
Catch up on the full interview over at Hypebeast.
