Everyone knows that to get the best ski boot fit, the liners need to be heat molded to fit the contours of each person’s feet. Tecnica, a popular and trusted ski boot brand, is now bringing this line of thinking to trail running shoes. Rather than provide a shoe shape that is predetermined, forcing the foot to fit into it, Tecnica ORIGIN shoes can be tailored to each individual.
The process is simple. ORIGIN comes in four base models with varying degrees of support and cushion, all include a Vibram Megagrip sole. An app will assist a retailer in determining the appropriate base model based on a person’s height and weight. Then the upper and footbed are thermo-molded to the specific foot shape of the customer. The result is a completely unique product that fits each runner in a way that no other shoe can. This process will take 15 minutes and will need to be done in a store, a good thing for specialty brick-and-mortar retailers, and not so helpful for the online shopper.
In the past, other companies have attempted to make customizable trail running shoes, so this isn’t a completely original concept. However, those options were complicated and expensive. Tecnica hopes that this solution will be simple enough to entice retailers as well as customers, and versatile enough to accommodate the exploding population of trail runners, composed of wide-ranging body shapes, genders, and anatomies. With a weight comparable to other top-performing running shoes—10.5 ounces—the Tecnica ORIGIN could actually make a difference for elite runners and those with difficult to fit feet.
Tecnica ORIGIN trail running shoes will be available for purchase in spring 2020, with a retail price of $170. This is slightly more expensive than top-tier trail runners available today, but we suspect many people will be willing to pay a tiny bit more for increased comfort and performance.
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