Comments on: Lacoste: The Future of Tennis Kicks Booty

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 27 May 2008 10:51:10 +0000

The brief was to match the shoes to the clothes so it had to have a certain look. Star Wars Stormtrooper designs still look futuristic to this day even after 35yrs. So i used that as a starting point.

The trick with predicting the future is looking at what won’t change but what technology might make things easier.

Ankle & foot support, grip, cooling. These never change. After that its about making something that looks good. But what’s good is up to peoples opinion and i just try to create something that fits the Lacoste style.

Oh.. Don’t think we will make them though i’m afraid but you never know.

Regards

Steve

By: tomvons

tomvons — Fri, 23 May 2008 01:32:03 +0000

Cool stuff, but I imagine it will turn out about as accurate as predictions from the 20’s and 30s (or even 50’s and 60s’) about the year 2000.

By: Sheamus

Sheamus — Thu, 22 May 2008 17:38:11 +0000

Very cool video. I’d have liked to seen an extended version, to be honest.

I don’t think tennis will end up like that, though. I can see squash going more that way, to be honest. But while I also think all sports will eventually have a ‘virtual’ option, I think you’ll get a century of purists arguing with techies over what is best.

Meantime, I still can’t wait for Top Spin 3 to come out on the Wii. Tournaments? Full, proper sets? Against Federer!?

*explodes*

By: Kiltak

Kiltak — Thu, 22 May 2008 16:25:37 +0000

Thanks for commenting Steve,

So you’re telling me that these shoes are real? That’s awesome, even if they’re just a prototype. My initial thought was that the effect was added via a video editing program..

Does Lacoste have any plan of releasing them on the market? And if so, how much would they cost?

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 22 May 2008 16:02:01 +0000

As the designer of the shoes I’m glad you like them. The LCD heel is touch sensitive. Although its set with the retro digital Lacoste for the animation, it can be full colour with streaming video, web access and more. The outsole has nano tech and you set it to what ever surface you playing. Geek stuff but fun to think about. I’m sure its not to everyone’s taste.
Cheers

By: Lyle Bateman (aka Elron Steele)

Lyle Bateman (aka Elron Steele) — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:03:00 +0000

This is a cool video, and possibly not too far off the mark. http://www.virginmedia.com/sport/tennis/galleries/tennis-fashions.php?ssid=5 that link is a nice example of tennis “fashion” and equipment from 1933, 75 years ago, featuring Fred Perry. If someone had shown Fred a video of today’s composite rackets with giant heads, today’s high tech running shoes, even the sleeveless synthetic fiber clothes (and styles that ignore white and go for shorts and sleeveless shirts to “show off the guns”), it probably would have looked at LEAST as bizarre to Fred Perry as this video looks to us today …