Nike Free Trainer (2011)

What are some of the improvement we can expect to see on the next generation of Free Trainer?

Free is all about natural motion and letting the foot move and operate as it should, which helps naturally strengthen the muscles in your foot. From an upper perspective, we picked a mesh that was lighter, more comfortable to give a better fit and overall experience. We also added a few overlays at the midfoot, on both the medial and lateral sides to better contain the athlete as they train. The midsole and outsole are the same (as the previous generation)? because we just had a great read on it, and we’re continuing to move that forward.

Are we going to to continue to see more and more models use Free?

It’s a foundation we want to continue to build off of, and we just want to keep that sharp point of natural motion and helping athletes become more explosive. It will be continue to be part of our offering as we go forward.

When can we expect the next Free shoe?

It’ll be out in the summer.

Nike Trainer 1.2 Low

What were some of the changes made on the Trainer 1.2 Low in comparison to the Mid?

A lot of the same kind of themes from Huarache and Free such as trying to make that product lighter. Again, we lowered the height and the collar to reduce weight and increase mobility a little bit more. We removed the forefoot strap since we felt we had enough lockdown with the overlays. But otherwise, not much. Our tagline for this shoe is, “The most versatile shoe,” so the traction to the midsole cushioning to the Flywire in the upper and all the other innovations are there to give you that lighter trainer with the right amount of stability.

“I think the insight was that the Huarache is all about fit, comfort and the ride for the athlete. We wanted to take that idea, which is still relevant to athletes now, and improve on it.”

If you had to choose one, which would be your favorite out of the Huarache, Trainer 1.2 and Free Trainer?

I couldn’t say. We worked so hard as a team on each. They all mean a lot to me.

Can you tease with anything for next year?

Nope. All I can say is that we’re working hard to be consistent, bring innovation and stay on top of our game. We’re going to continue to do this [points to all three shoes] next year.