PUMA x SBW
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Women’s Wrestling Shoes
Non-sponsored. Branding is used for demonstration purposes only.
Project Brief
Puma Innovation Footwear Design Competition
In partnership with PUMA, Sneakers by Women presented a footwear design competition. Participants were asked to design a performance shoes for a sport of their choice in the 2024 Olympics.
[ 2 weeks / 2023]
Brand, sport, and the athlete
summer 2024
PUMA
Loyal Companion
Freestyle Wrestling
Predacious Scramble
Wrestling's history stems from primitive hand-to-hand combat, embodying the predatory instinct as beings scramble to prey on the weaker, displaying raw strength and dominance in the pursuit of victory.
Athlete
Dismantling Whirlwind
A power house that twists and turns with relentless vigor. The sheer power propels the opponent into a whirlwind of intensity, leaving them dismantled and grounded by the unstoppable force.
Image Credit: PUMA.com
Design for Women
Celebrate female Attributes
“On average women commonly have an 8 - 15% lower longitudinal center of gravity than men…The differences are a major contributing factor to techniques used in sporting events.”
Source:
Summers, Richard L et al. “Theoretical analysis of the mechanisms of a gender differentiation in the propensity for orthostatic intolerance after spaceflight.”
Women
Low center of gravity is hypothesized to maintain a stable position in a neutral stance, resisting outside forces and able to exert effective upward thrust.
Men
Higher center of gravity is hypothesized to sustain a forward-leaning position, potentially a more powerful penetrating force.
Meet the Athlete
Samar Amer Ibrahim
HAMZA
Age: 28 y/o
Weight: 76kg
Style: women’s wrestling
Nationality: Egypt
Technique Analysis
S. HAMZA vs
n. matsuyuki
2018 Wrestling World Championships Quarter Final Match
Source: Youtube United World Wrestling
Winning move
Spiral - Driven Throw
Feet Pressure Map
Forefoot to heel weight shift
Image credit: United World Wrestler website
What if her drive is constant?
How could we realign Momentum?
Reconfiguration of PUMA PWR Tape
Configuration 1
The tape sits just under the medial and lateral malleolus stabilizing the tendons that sit behind it.
Configuration 2
The U shaped tape at the forefoot pulls back the material at the toe box causing wrinkling and discomfort.
When the end of the loop is shifted under the forefoot, the tape now creates tension from the side and no longer pulls the toes.
Feature 2
Stabilizing Axis
Anchor the rotation during pivots, and ensure stability even in the most violent turns.
Feature 1
Dynamic Loop
Confine movements to preserve drive.
A reconfigured PWRTAPE design for the quick shift from forefoot rotation to heel.
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