Is the Nike GS a glimpse into the future?

On Monday, the footballing world was treated to a surprising, but delightful, revelation by Nike. Mere months after releasing the Nike Mercurial Vapor VIII, they would be releasing a brand new Speed boot (it’s actually claimed to be every boot in one) that weighs a mere 160g. Granted, it’s more of a concept boot than a full release, but Nike are placing a whole load of emphasis on this release.

The first point we’d like to touch upon is a quote taken directly from a Nike representative: “We engineered a boot for the future: delivering superior performance and lower environmental impact.” That statement alone sent alarm bells going in our heads. As shown by Jordon’s latest boot calendar, the next Mercurial Vapor is set to be released early next year. Now this statement by Nike and Soccer Reviews’ reveal of the release date of the next Vapor surely can’t be just a coincidence?

So what can we take from this? Firstly, expect many features from the Nike GS to feature on future Mercurial Vapors. For example, the new heel counter and soleplate would be direct fits as Nike have designed them to be as lightweight as possible. Anybody lucky enough to get their hands on the Nike GS could well be receiving an early prototype of the ensuing Vapor IX release. Don’t take this for granted however.

While we have seen concept boots created years before the GS, primarily from Puma, it is the environmentally friendly creation process that is particularly interesting. As far as we’re aware, the Nike GS is only the second boot to be created in such a way, once again behind the Puma ‘Eco’ Finale. It’s an idea that we expect will become common place in the near future. Again, from Nike’s press statements it certainly appears that Nike are making a massive push for this area of the market. Using the environment to market their future boots would certainly please environmentally aware individuals, especially the Beckhams! We wonder whether Adidas will follow suit?

Thirdly, it’s a reasonably well-known fact that Nike are looking to phase any type of leather out of their football boots. The Kanga-Lite upper (which is solvent free) supposedly provides zonal reinforcement for exceptional touch and control. Interesting. Do not be at all surprised to see this new form of Kanga-Lite featured on the upcoming Nike CTR Maestri IIIs and future Laser releases. Kanga-Lite has certainly been popular among consumers and that’s something Nike will no doubt look to improve upon in the future.

But what particularly interested me was the soleplate. Now, we all know Nike flirted with Carbon Fibre for a little while before it became apparent that it was expensive and prone to breaking. So they zoned that out and focused more on the Glass Fibre, which is used on the Nike Mercurial Vapor VIIIs. However, luckily for us, we’re being treated to yet another new form of soleplate! Nike claim it features a ‘spine’ for explosive speed and is made with 50% Pebax Renu. Looking at it, it is very similar to the Pele Trinity, and with the Superfly expected to make a return in the future.. This new type of soleplate could well be featured on firstly the Vapors, and later the other silos. 

There has been a little bit of focus on Flyknit recently, with Nike introducing it onto their running shoes. While there has not been any official announcements confirming it, there does appear to be a form of Flyknit on the upper of the boot. We recently revealed that we expect the Nike Mercurial Vapor IXs to feature Flyknit on their upper, and so the Nike GS could once again be a first look at the future Vapor IX.

Once again, Nike have reintroduced a heel ‘bumper’ into the boots, to increase comfort. This was originally used in the Vapor IIIs and IVs, but was taken out when people complained about severe blisters when using the boots. However, Nike have reintroduced it into the Nike GS, and from pictures we’ve seen it looks like this will continue on into the Nike Mercurial Vapor IX.

So there you have it, a quick look into what to possibly expect from future Nike releases. This is just my personal interpretation, but I believe there is a little more to the Nike GS than first meets the eye. I certainly find them interesting, and I’m looking forward to seeing how Nike innovate in the future. Leave your thoughts and comments below.