We knew we were onto something big, but also knew there was a long road ahead going from the lab all the way to production. From there, and after showing Stephen early prototypes, he said he had to have it for the Curry 8 – months before we thought we could deliver. That was the fateful moment when we realized the amazing traction on the hardwood and that this could be a groundbreaking basketball shoe. We were testing initially at our Portland headquarters and the team took it into the gym so we could have a longer straightaway to run on. ONE37pm: Were there any specific challenges/obstacles that you all encountered with this sneaker?ĭean: When we first started exploring this new foam concept that was lightweight with high energy return, it was our intention to create a high-performance running shoe. So much of sport is rooted in psychology and how you feel, and that is a big part of what UA Flow is offering here – helping Stephen and athletes like him get in the right mindset with gear they trust will perform to their expectations. Lastly, an engineered knit upper provides breathability and comfort, helping players stay cool and focused during workouts or in game. Aside from UA Flow cushioning, the Curry Flow 8 upper has a finely tuned two-layer fit system that acts like a set of seat belts locking you onto the UA Flow midsole.Ī set of five webbing loops lock the foot into the heel pocket during hard stops, while a non-stretch fingered laminate layer secures the foot in hard lateral cuts. This results in Under Armour Basketball’s highest performance ground-contact cushioning technology to-date. With UA Flow, UA has dialed in on energy return, shock absorption and traction to enhance the court feel, cushioning and speed of movement without sacrificing durability. ONE37pm: What made this particular shoe different from the others that we have seen from Curry in the past?ĭean: The Curry 8 Flow was our first shoe to introduce Under Armour’s newest cushioning platform, UA Flow. We believe this experience has really become the benchmark of how we want to work with athletes in the future. Ultimately, this was our most intense footwear development story with Stephen that we’ve ever done at Under Armour. And Stephen was engaged throughout the entire 15-month process. We conducted wear-testing with over 100 athletes for a cumulative total of approximately 1,532 hours on-court. UA Flow and the Curry Flow 8 went through 13 rounds of wear-testing and 10 rounds of biomechanical testing. UA optimized the properties of this unique foam compound to create-according to feedback and extensive testing from our athletes-our best performing basketball shoe to date. The Curry Flow 8 disrupts the design of a traditional basketball shoe by completely eliminating the rubber outsole, bringing unparalleled traction, lightweight cushioning and grippy on-court feel. The development of UA Flow, and design of the Curry Flow 8, was a partnership between Dow and the Under Armour team including Innovation, Product Design, Biomechanics, Athlete and Consumer Insights groups, and many others. Like Stephen, we set out to disrupt the game – and ended up creating a basketball shoe that does just that. What was the process in terms of creating the actual sneaker?ĭean: Three years ago, Stephen came to myself and the UA Innovation team with one request: to give him one second back on the court. ONE37pm: This Season Steph wore the Curry Flow 8, which was actually the first signature shoe under the Curry brand label.
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