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Our Blog

08 Jul

UP SHIFT: If you can’t drive a BMW, wear one … kind of


Puma X-CAT design 2

“The BMW Group has completed a collaboration with Puma to create a new shoe line called the DISC.

Designworks, a BMW Group subsidiary, provided its fabric outer shell that was originally unveiled in 2008 as part of a new car design. Now, Designworks and Puma have collaborated to use the GINA Light fabric technology in a new shoe called the X-CAT DISC.

Puma X-CAT design 1“The approach was to look at every aspect of making a shoe and to try and reimagine it. Freeing yourself of what is here now can be an enjoyable and rewarding exercise. Typically, it also speeds up change,” said Adrian van Hooydonk, senior vice president of BMW Group Design, in a press release.

According to Designworks, Puma reinvented its DISC technology and blended it with GINA material. “Instead of using laces, this system works with a rotating disc that pulls internal wires to close and open the shoe. Using only one thin layer of stretchable and super-light GINA material, the shoe wraps around the foot like a second skin. Additional seams are no longer necessary and dynamic movement feels very natural. Since a new material not only allows new shapes but also enables a different way of thinking about movement, Designworks embarked on a new approach to motion.”

“With the X-CAT project, we wanted to unleash the innovative power of BMW and PUMA. We have transformed the essence of the shape-shifting GINA car into a streamlined and elegant shoe,” said Torsten Hochstetter, global creative director at Puma.

The new shoe will be available July 1, 2016 at selected Puma stores globally.”

ARTICLE: http://podcasts.gsabizwire.com/up-shift-if-you-cant-drive-a-bmw-wear-one-kind-of