How Craft Sportswear’s Collaboration With Leading Tech Manufacturers Led to New $300 Super Shoe
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Craft Sportswear started in the super shoe race last summer with the release of the Nordlite Speed. However, with its all-new Kype Pro, the Swedish performance brand is now sprinting at full speed in the ultracompetitive category.
“The Nordlite Speed had those super shoe components — supercritical foam, nitrogen-infused EVA, a carbon fiber plate, a fast feel. But the Kype Pro is the HD version, the 5G version,” Craft Sportswear athlete and footwear tech rep David Laney told FN. “We definitely took it to a new level.”
Eric Saren, footwear designer at Craft Sportswear, revealed to FN the varied and remarkably different design inspirations behind the Kype Pro (which is pronounced “ship-ay”). The inspirations include the independent suspension of automobiles (“The shoe is almost adaptive in the sense that it moves back and forth”), catamarans and other split hull design vessels (“Why are they so much faster and more efficient?”) and peregrine falcons (“They are so fast in water”).
Saren also revealed how collaboration was critical in getting the Kype Pro across the finish line.
“We use a mix of internal and external talent from the design and engineering sides, probably a wider group than we’ve ever used because it was technically so much more of a challenge and there were so many things we wanted to accomplish,” he explained. “It was important to bring other minds into the mix.”
He continued, “Being small, we accomplished something well beyond our capability by utilizing collaboration with a lot of other entities.”
The most noticeable design element of the Kype Pro is the split heel design, employed to reduce the contact surface area between the shoe and the ground in order to enable quicker toe-of. However, the highlight of the shoe is the carbon fiber plate. The plate, which was created in collaboration with carbon fiber component manufacturer Arris, weighs just 14 grams and was added to offer improved energy return, stability and propulsion.
“The carbon plate is categorically different. Other components of the shoe are similar to other brands, but this really does change the game,” Laney said. “Having the fork in the heel and this lattice work in the carbon allows so much more engagement. From a technology standpoint, the carbon plate is categorically better.”
The midsoles are another a critical component to the performance of the Kype Pro. They feature the brand’s Xx Foam, which are made with a Pebax material from chemical manufacturer Arkema. The midsoles, Craft Footwear explained, were added to offer the wearer a responsive, smooth ride in order to both enhance speed and comfort and minimize energy use.
The collaboration continued with the outsoles, which were created in collaboration with Italian bicycle tire manufacturer Vittoria, and were specifically inspired by the Open Corsa Pro Control tire. They are both lightweight and durable, and made with all-weather grip and stability in mind.
Craft Sportswear continued its innovation story of the Kype Pro on its uppers, which feature its Aero Mesh technology. These uppers are constructed with mono yarn knit, a durable and breathable material that Craft Sportswear added specifically for runners on the road for long distances. The material, according to the brand, moves with the wearer’s foot, allowing for a natural running feel.
The Kype Pro wouldn’t have been possible without the insights of its athletes, which were employed from the early stages of the creation process until fruition. Saren recalled Laney taking the first prototypes and running with them on site between meetings.
The result is a shoe that is made to perform, regardless of how the wearers run.
“In the beginning we asked our runners, ‘Aren’t all you fast marathoners toe strikers?’ And they said, ‘No, that is absolutely a farce.’ To run efficiently over 26-plus miles, you need to heel strike, toe strike, mid-foot strike and move your gait around. We built this with the idea of optimizing all three of those foot positions,” Saren explained.
Craft Sportswear released the Kype Pro in limited quantities at a pop-up shop during the TCS New York City Marathon this month, and will have a broader global launch of the shoe both online and at specialty run retail in March 2025. Retail price is $300.
About the Author
Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at [email protected].
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