Traditionally, boot designs start with a sketch, but there is nothing traditional about the brand new PhantomVSN. So, to create something different and better, Nike football footwear designer Phil Woodman started conceiving of this boot from the inside out.
This resulted in a proprietary new construction that will debut in football with the PhantomVSN, and soon be adopted in other Nike footwear.
“We developed an internal Quadfit mesh bootie that conforms to fit almost any foot, but retains its shape and will not overstretch,” says Woodman. “Quadfit contains the foot without constricting the foot.”
Woodman further outlines that, while it has become customary to "break-in" football boots before competitive use, the PhantomVSN is designed to allow footballers to put it to full use immediately.
“Players have long been accustomed to the rigors of breaking in their boots, but the PhantomVSN is match-ready right out of the box,” he assures.
'Quadfit' forgoes the stretch bias typically seen in woven materials, with the four axes of fibres conforming to the player’s foot and providing support in all directions.
The unique fibre orientation as well as the separation between fibres make it work, while the gaps distribute the load of the foot and mitigate friction.
Another unseen item within the PhantomVSN is the appropriately named Ghost Lace system, which sees the return of laces but not it the conventional way.
“We’ve done tremendous amounts of research, talking with players and analysing data in the lab, and the results are unanimously in favour of lacing to provide that customized fit each player desires,” Woodman states.
To improve upon traditional lacing, the Ghost Lace touchpoints were minimized and a one-pull construction implemented for equal tension all the way down the foot. The laces can then be discretely tucked away to provide an even striking surface.
The hidden innovations on the PhantomVSN reside within the highly texturized Nike Flyknit upper designed to provide premium touch on the ball.
The data-informed placement of the triangulated texture corresponds with NSRL (Nike Sport Research Lab) data on ball control. This is further emphasized by the boot’s dominant visual cue, the medial triangle.
“The triangle roughly covers the surface between 3 prominent bones in the foot: the calcaneus, talus, and first metatarsal head. This provides an intuitive connection to the area our research deems critical to ball control,” Woodman further explains.
With small-sided football playing such a prominent role in the design of PhantomVSN, it makes sense that the small-sided version of the boot would be constructed with attention to detail and the best technology Nike has to offer, including NikeReact cushioning and an extra durable upper for the rigors of the street.
The cleated version features an entirely new FEA-informed traction pattern to accommodate quick multi-directional cuts. The studs are housed on a lightweight, responsive plate with enhanced zonal support for the foot.
Both the small-sided and cleated versions of PhantomVSN are designed to perform in the elements with ACC (All Conditions Control) coating weather-proofing the product.
The long list of Nike players planning to play in the PhantomVSN includes the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Kevin De Bruyne, Mallory Pugh, Fran Kirby abroad, while PSL stars such as George Maluleka and Sibusiso Vilakazi will model it locally.
The PhantomVSN will be available in black on July 18 on nike.com and grey on August 2 at selected retailers.