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WORLD FOOTWEAR | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012
There are two main principles in the BIOM shoes. The foot
is lower to the ground, and the shoes are more flexible. When
feet are closer to the ground, they are better able to adapt,
says Mr Nicolai. The degree of flexibility varies according to
the type of footwear. As he explains, the toes are the most
flexible part of the foot, as the bones are smaller. As the foot
nears the ankle the bones are longer and less flexible.
Running shoes
The forefoot of the new BIOM super lightweight running
shoe in yak leather is extremely flexible, while the heel and
shank area have more support than most minimalistic running
shoes. There is a shank built into the shoes but you cannot
see it, as it is encapsulated into the PU. It is exactly four
millimetres under the foot, so that the foot still gets
cushioning above the shank. It is interesting too that the PU
sole and the insole support are moulded in one piece: the
sole and footbed are a single mould.
The entire outsole on the summer products is single
density PU which has the lugs on the bottom, and an arch
support and foot cradle on the inside, which acts like an
orthotic. There is no insole board and the shoes appear to be
Strobel-made but are actually traditionally string lasted like
many of the other Ecco shoes.
When you look inside, you can see the flat, smooth join
between upper and sole cover, a wicking textile liner to
provide comfort and help reduce slip, so that the foot is not
in direct contact with the PU. As the shoe is unlined the
external support offered by the outsole at the heel and arch
area mean no rubbing or abrasion inside the shoes. The only
lining is a light padded collar lining which is also in yak leather.
The collection
Ecco has segmented the collection covering all groups from
top athlete to casual wear. Constructions are segmented from
less to more support and high to less flexibility, with the most
flexible shoes naturally having the least support. The running
collection is what can be called the “flagship collection”.
For summer 2013, the Evo racer made from yak leather is
top of the running shoe line. Yak leather was first introduced
in 2006 in the Ecco hiking line. It has a tighter structure than
cow leather and is very abrasion-resistant. The advantage of
yak leather is that it can be used thinner as it is so strong, and
thinner leather leads to lighter weight shoes. Ecco’s yak
leather is from sustainably farmed yaks, but they are still “free
range” so can suffer from small marks and damage from
bites, cuts and scratches. Unlike other companies that use yak
leather from Tibet, Ecco has a regular source with no
production bottlenecks. The leather on the new BIOM running
shoes is skived down to between 0.9 and 1 millimetre in
thickness (which is very thin) and are made unlined so they
are super-light and breathable. The yak leather was been
developed in the Ecco leather research and development
centre in Dongen in the Netherlands.
There is also a version of the Evo racer in textile material,
weighing only 210 grammes; the weight has been reduced
significantly. It has technical running shoe features such as the
asymmetric tongue, which is fixed on the inside so it won’t fall
down. It has a microfibre “cage” in the midfoot and this
means that there is some reinforcement textile to stop the
shoe giving or stretching too much in the arch and midfoot
area so that the foot remains in place inside the shoes and
doesn’t slide forwards in wear. This also keeps the toes from
hitting the toe box.
The lacing system is much longer than a normal casual shoe,
which gives more stability inside the shoe. These BIOM lite
shoes are designed especially for midfoot and forefoot strikers.
Asked about adapting to a new type of footwear, Alex Nicolai
explains that runners change their style to fit the shoes. In
around six weeks runners are already running better and have
fewer injuries; but they do need time to train up the muscles
of the foot better, since they are now working harder, he says.
An average runner, or one who runs less regularly, will have to
adjust more slowly if they are not in top physical condition.
The new BIOM running shoes have been upgraded and
developed from the first generation. They have been fit
adjusted for additional comfort as they are now closer fitting
in the heel cup and the midfoot area. As Mr Nikolai explains,
the most important area for fit of a running shoe is actually
across the instep. This is also why the new BIOM shoes have
a longer lace opening, so that there is more control over the
fitting to the individual. For summer 2013 the Ecco design
team has also been building on the success of the BIOM
collection and made it wider.
Typical of Ecco’s own way of doing
things is the use of unlined yak leather
on a super lightweight running shoe in
the summer 2013 collection.