Nike Phantom Venom Prototypes Boots Revealed + Designer Interview
Feb 9, 2019, by Chris
The all-new Nike Phantom VNM football boot has been already released in mid-January 2019. There was no big launch event of the boot, but Nike recently has shared an interview with the Senior Footwear Design Director Jeongwoo Lee that gives us interesting insights as well as a look at some prototypes.
Nike Phantom VNM Designer Interview
As revealed in the video, Senior Footwear Design Director Jeongwoo Lee and his team used a robot leg to test and inform data-driven designs in order to create Nike's most precise boot ever.
The Volt prototype boots shown off by Nike give us a preview of an upcoming colorway, the 'New Lights' Nike Phantom VNM football boot thta is set to be released at the start of next season.
Lee's team started by meeting with a range of players, from elite professionals like Harry Kane and Alex Morgan, to aspiring youth players and everyday ballers. According to Nike, attackers need more than just speed or power in the modern game—they need precision.
"'Clean-strike' was a word we heard a lot", Lee said. "It's that accuracy that we really wanted to elevate on the Phantom Venom to redefine what the modern-day finishers' boot should be. As the modern-day game is getting faster, we really want to leverage the data".
The consistency of the robot allowed them to eliminate human variables and engineer the boot's forefoot into a striking area. Test results from the robot leg were used to fine-tune the geometry, height and angle of the blades on the Strike Zone to optimise performance in four areas: spin, elevation, power and accuracy.
With more than fifty prototypes were tested at the Nike Innovation Lab before the Strike Zone was perfected, it was no problem for the Swoosh to reveal some of them.
"That", Lee said, "is something you cannot sketch".
Do you like the concept of the Nike Phantom VNM? Would you like Nike to show off even more prototypes and better pictures of them? Let us know in the comments below.
On-pitch Debut: Both Of Aston Villa's 26-27 Home Kit Variations
In the span of less than two weeks, Aston Villa have already played 4 different pre-season friendlies, where their both of their home kit combinations have been debuted.
The original version with claret shirt, blue shorts and blue socks were used 3 times against Walsall, Real Sociedad and Liga Indonesia All Stars. The full-claret variation has its first appearance at Porto's Dragão.
There is expected to be more kit mashups between these shirt, shorts and socks choices being used in the upcoming season (other than these two), depending on each opponent's colors.
No More Mizuno: Reebok Hansa Rostock 26-27 Third Kit Released
German 3. Liga club FC Hansa Rostock and new technical sponsor Reebok have officially unveiled the team's new third kit for the 26-27 season. Completing the club's kit set alongside the previously launched home and away shirts, the release marks another custom design from Reebok in their debut campaign as Hansa's official supplier after taking over from Mizuno.
The Reebok Hansa Rostock 26-27 third shirt reinterprets a classic design from the club's archive, taking direct inspiration from the away jersey worn during the 1999-00 season. It features a sleek black base on the front and back, complemented by vibrant red sleeves that highlight Reebok's signature vector branding. A traditional polo collar tops off the vintage look, paying homage to an era defined by club figures like Timo Lange, Magnus Arvidsson, Victor Agali, and Steffen Baumgart.
Crafted from modern performance fabrics with a contemporary athletic fit, the jersey blends nostalgic late-90s styling with up-to-date sportswear technology. The new Hansa Rostock 26-27 third kit is available now via the club's official online store and physical retail locations.
Crawley Town 26-27 Away Kit Released
English club Crawley Town and technical partner Erreà have officially launched the new 26-27 away kit. Following the design direction established by this season's home uniform, the new alternative strip carries a sleek black and gold color scheme inspired by the club's fiery identity.
The Erreà Crawley Town 26-27 away jersey is predominantly black with a subtle tonal flame pattern running across the front and sleeves as a nod to the Red Devils nickname. All accents are styled in gold, including a recoloured black and gold crest, gold Erreà chest branding, and gold sponsor logos. The inside back collar incorporates 1896, marking the foundation year of the club.
Black shorts and matching black socks complete the new Crawley Town 26-27 away kit by Erreà, which is now available to purchase through the official club store.
