Press Release
Kateem Trail Running Shoe by Florian Seidl Receives the A' Design Award in Footwear, Shoes and Boots Design
The international grand jury of the 2015 - 2016 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Florian Seidl for footwear, shoes and boots design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 22, 2016 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Kateem Trail Running Shoe by Florian Seidl has been granted the A' Design Award in the Footwear, Shoes and Boots Design category. The recognition forms part of the 2015 - 2016 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the A' Design Award
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
Regarding Kateem Trail Running Shoe
A light weight trail running shoe that uses innovative materials and production techniques but also builds on traditional know-how to create a new running experience. The upper is made from semi-rigid panels like a stretchy exoskeleton - robust, water repellant and breathable. It has a carbon toe cap and precisely defined flex zones. Traditional lacing is easily adjustable, the sock-like inner and custom 3D printed insole guarantee perfect fit. The midsole is thin and has variable tread inlays. Feet are well protected and supported - empowering runners to perform better.
About Florian Seidl
Florian Seidl is an Austrian design leader based in Turin, Italy, with over 20 years of experience spanning automotive exterior design and corporate design leadership. Since 2015, he has led Lavazza Group's corporate design function, built from scratch into a team recognized with more than 90 international design awards. Before Lavazza, he spent almost eight years as a senior exterior designer at Fiat's Centro Stile, contributing to the Fiat 500 model range. Earlier in his career, he worked on KTM motorcycle projects while at Kiska, a major Austrian design agency. Always with a strong feeling for brand identity and the bigger picture beyond the project as a mere product.
Award Record
With this recognition, Florian Seidl is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Footwear, Shoes and Boots Design Award
The A' Footwear Design Award is an international footwear design competition recognizing good footwears by leading footwear brands and designers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to footwear designers, shoe designers, boot designers and fashion designers from all countries. Typical entries include shoes, sneakers, sandals, boots, heels and loafers. The awarded footwear designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/footwear
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/42437
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/42437
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!42437
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/154515
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Kateem Trail Running Shoe
- Function
- Trail Running Shoe
- Category
- Footwear, Shoes and Boots Design
- Discipline
- Fashion Design
- Industry
- Fashion and Sports
- Colors
- Orange Red, Tomato, Black, Saddle Brown and Lavender
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Florian Seidl
- Country
- Italy
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2015 - 2016
- Design ID
- #42437
Credits
- Image Credits
- Photographer Florian Seidl, Kateem Product Shot 01, 2015.; Photographer Florian Seidl, Kateem Product Shot 02, 2015.; Photographer Florian Seidl, Kateem Product Shot 03, 2015.; Photographer Florian Seidl, Kateem Product Shot 04, 2015.; Designer Florian Seidl, Kateem Selected Sketches, 2015.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- A tough and lightweight trail running shoe making use of new technology and traditional know-how. The upper panels form a stretchy exoskeleton. It is robust, water repellant, breathable, has a carbon toe cap and defined flex zones. A sock-like inner and custom 3D printed insole guarantee perfect fit. The thin midsole can be adjusted with different inlays. Function and ergonomics are expressed with bold volumes, controlled surfacing, striking colors and minimal graphics empowering runners to perform better and achieve more.
- Inspiration
- We are living in competitive times and sports and recreation are getting ever more important. So it is no surprise that trail running, a sport that offers the chance of real life adventures and competition outside in nature, is growing ever more popular. The main inspirations are coming from this off-road and sometimes extreme performance sport, new production techniques, rock formations, exoskeletons and low poly modeling for good measure.
- Research
- The concept is based on personal research analysing the market segment, the main competitors, the target group and relevant trends. Special focus was also put on ergonomics/anthropometrics and current and future materials and production techniques in the field of sneaker and sport shoe design. This research is mainly based on articles, literature review and interviews with experts. The findings were then transformed and translated in a tangible real world clay model and then refined in an extended formal research phase.
- Challenge
- The main challenge for a project that is so closely related to the human body is the right balance between ergonomic and functional requirements and the desired formal expression.
- Realization and Technology
- New manufacturing technologies and innovative or unusual materials are very important for this concept and make it really possible. The carbon fiber toe cap, the stretchy exoskeleton made from woven 3D textile mesh panels (used for the upper) and the custom 3D printed insole that guarantees a perfect fit for every individual foot and every runner are the main examples. The design does however also build on well-established and proven footwear technology to create an innovative product with exceptional performance.
- Operation and Interaction
- The main aim is better protection and guidance for the foot of trail runners in rough and difficult terrain. The soft inner shoe is protected by a semi-rigid outer shell and a light weight carbon fiber toe cap. The 3D printed insole is an important ergonomic feature. Created individually with a specific profile for every runner rapid manufacturing techniques change the way footwear is designed. With traditional lacing - well known, reliable, easily adjustable - and the heel ribbon getting in and out of the shoe is really simple.
- Project Duration and Location
- Kateem is a private free time project that was developed and refined step by step on long evenings and during weekends. This lengthy process was finished in 2015 in Turin, Italy.
- Specifications
- shoe size 42 (EU) dimensions approximately: 100m x 280 mm x 110mm
- Keywords
- concept, design, running, shoe, sneaker, trail, off-road, sport, extreme, innovative, carbon, 3D textile, 3D printing, custom, light weight
