Footwear Insight

14 • Footwear Insight ~ March/April 2018 footwearinsight.com By Suzanne Blecher F itness is en fuego for 2018 with brands fighting for a precious piece of the category. The con- trolled environment of a studio or gym calls for a different type of shoe than the outdoors, with brands coming through offering customized options. Indoor training "is the only sport where you do the bulk of your movement later- ally, so shoes have to be designed to handle that movement, rather than land- ing on the heel," explains Killick Datta, CEO of Global Brand Partners, licensee of the Beachbody footwear brand. Heel- control is less important here since the gym surface is flat, he says. With in-gym posing as a potentially big piece of the market, offerings are ever-expanding. "If fitness was a sport, it would be the most played sport on the planet, more than soccer," says Datta, adding, "every athlete goes to the gym first." Here are three of the top trends Footwear Insight is seeing right now in fitness. 1. Cycling Hybrids Beachbody's Xspin range is for both indoor cycling and high-impact workouts. Having to bring two pair of shoes to the gym to interchange during workouts can be a pain, so the Xspin eliminates the issue. These slimmed-down shoes tend to fit better in the cycle cage than traditional running shoes and allow for use in many different types of bikes (since gyms offer a wide variety of brands). With incompat- ibilities in bikes being a problem, Datta decided to not feature clips on the shoes. The XSpin offers a one-piece sock construction for seamless comfort and adaptive support, full-length compres- sion EVA foam for cushioning and a skeletal blown rubber outsole for trac- tion. Both the Xspin Aero and Scope offer the same, with a running-inspired midsole and outsole profile. Footwear industry veteran and pas- sionate amateur cyclist Tracey McLeod launched the Tiem footwear brand as a way to complement the recent explo- sion in boutique athletic fashion. Tiem entered the market in March 2016 with the Slipstream — a cycling shoe combin- ing performance with high fashion. TIEM cycle shoes are carried in more than 125 boutique fitness studios and retailers, nationally and internationally. The Tiem team has plans to launch new products for cycle, as well as other fitness areas, in the coming year. Tiem's Slipstream offers a running- inspired EVA molded paired with "the technical function of a cycling shoe (hard cycling plate with a cleat), plus the comfort of engineered mesh," according to Tiem founder Tracey McLeod. The Tiem team saw a chance to break away from the traditional three- Velcro closure cycling shoe pack (that can sometimes be short on style) with the offering of something "fashionable and functional. It looks amazing on and is on trend with its marble plate details, fun peony pink and merlot colorways," says the exec. 2. Circuit-Centric Trainers "We're seeing a resurgence in natural trainers — shoes that minimize the amount of material between you and the ground. Trainers that are lighter weight When it comes to Indoor Athletics, These Shoes for Cycling, Circuit- Training and Running are Hot, Hot, Hot. FITNESS Three Key Footwear Trends For Fitness Under Armour HOVR Phantom

• Cover