Michelle Wie debuts funky new Nike shoe

• US star unveils new Nike shoes in France
• The Nike Blazer takes its roots from basketball
• It’s ‘versatile and stylish’, says Wie

MICHELLE WIE | EVIAN CHAMPIONSHIP

There’s no arguing the fact that Michelle Wie isn’t shy.

First it was the awkward putting stance. Then it was the array of colourful leggings. Now it’s funky golf shoes.

Michelle Wie has slowly but surely moved her way up the golfing ladder to become one of the LPGA’s best players. She also happens to be one of the most stylish.

This is the look the US star is displaying on the golf course for this week’s Evian Championship in France.

Michelle Wie, 25, is gracing the fairways of the final major of the year in hot pink Women’s Nike Blazers from Nike Golf, with a camouflage Swoosh and a “performance outsole engineered for traction”.

Inside the tongue of the shoes are the scores from each round of the golfer’s memorable 2014 victory, Wie’s first major win.

“Michelle asked us to create a high top golf shoe,” explains Joël Greenspan, footwear designer for Nike Golf. “She wanted to feel more support throughout her swing and greater connection to the ground. She also wanted a shoe that would reflect her distinct sense of style on and off the course. The Women’s Nike Blazer is a dynamic take on a classic silhouette; re-engineered and re-materialized to reflect Michelle’s elite level of play.”

Michelle Wie :: ‘It’s versatile and stylish’

Michelle Wie adds: “The Blazer is a versatile, stylish and high-performance shoe. The high top collar is so functional for me, providing the support I need through the impact of my swing. I love the fact that I can bring the iconic retro hoops look to the golf course.”

The Nike Blazer debuted on basketball legend George “The Iceman” Gervin in 1972. Over the past four decades, the style has evolved to include silhouettes designed for skate, sportswear and, now, golf.

The shoe will be available in early 2016.

Q&A with Joël Greenspan, Nike Golf Footwear Designer

What was the impetus for the Nike Blazer golf shoe?

JG The Nike Blazer golf shoe is yet another example of how athlete insights inform design at Nike. Michelle Wie asked us to create a high top golf shoe. She wanted to feel more support throughout her swing and greater connection to the ground. She also wanted a shoe that would reflect her distinct sense of style on and off the course. Her request came at a perfect time, as we were equally interested in creating disruptive golf footwear. The Nike Blazer is a shoe that not only serves the needs of the athlete, but also helps us continue to redefine the look of golf.

Can you walk us through the design of the shoe?

JG We looked to leverage a Nike icon and reengineer it for Michelle’s game. The Blazer of course has deep roots in Nike’s heritage. It is a shoe that shows up quite a bit in Michelle’s robust sneaker collection, so it’s authentic to her. We took the classic silhouette and paired it with the outsole that Michelle wore when she won the U.S. Open. We also decked it out with new materials and construction to ensure that it offered her what she needs both on and off the course.

What details in the shoe are unique to Michelle?

JG The entire shoe was built with her in mind; the materials, construction, fit. Detail-wise, Michelle loves bright colors, prints and making things her own. She wanted a bold shoe, and we wanted it to celebrate her amazing performance at the U.S. Open, so we decked it out in pink and camouflage (a nod to her leg tape), and embroidered a little reference to her win on the back of the tongue tag. But for the most part, we are looking forward to this shoe being a blank canvas for Michelle to express herself and her style of play, she will continue to play a big part in the evolution of this shoe for future seasons.

You can follow Michelle Wie on Twitter @themichellewie

Originally published on bunkered on September 11, 2015.

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