Milestones – Nike GS Concept 2012

Nike GS (Green Speed) Concept was released in 2012, were Neymar used the boots in the Olympics. Nike constructed the boot by using renewable and recycled materials. The main goal was to reduce weight and waste in every single component of the boot! They done that and also did they create the lightest boot weighting 160 grams back in 2012.

The Nike Kanga-Lite upper produced over a third less carbon emissions when it is manufactured than traditional materials. The laces, lining and tongue of these Nike GS Concept football boots were all made from a minimum of 70% recycled materials while the toeboard and collar feature at least 15% recycled materials.

The boots and the box is indiviaually numbered. I own the pair numbered 1634 out of 2012.

Thank you for reading and remember to follow me on InstaGram as: @toffem

Milestones – Nike Mercurial Superfly I 2009

The release of Nike Mercurial Superfly I in 2009 was truly a beginning of something big.

Nike had a big launch for the boot at Old Trafford with Cristiano Ronaldo as main character to advertise the new Superfly. The Superfly I was a product of 2 years of engineering and designing, Nike did also work around many professional players feedback to create this boot.

The new technology in the Superfly I was called “Flywire”. This Flywire technology allowed Nike to reduce weight without losing strength. You can compare the Flywire technology with cables in a bridge, it supports players foot were needed. The boot weighted only 185 grams and back in 2009 that was very light. Nike added the Tepex carbon fibre soleplate to the boot which really made the Superfly I unlike any other boot on the market.

Nike released a very limited edition of the Nike Mercurial Superfly I Fg called “Wear It Proud”. They were originally made for Ugo Moyne and the English rugby team to celebrate their new purple away kit. Each boot was handmade in Italy and individually numbered from 1 to 70. Rumors tell that 30 pairs were given to the rugby team members and only 40 pairs sold to public.

My pair is numbered 55 out of 70.

Thank you for reading!

Kind regards Toffem

Milestones – Nike Mercurial SL 2008

Nike wanted to create the lightest and fastest boot in history. Nike spent 3 years creating a boot with no financial- or time limitations. In 2008 Nike released the Nike Mercurial SL (Super Light), weighed 190 grams.

The boot is almost entirely made of carbon fiber with a soleplate made of 7 layer carbon material, this to give strength and flexibility.

Nike released the boot in FG-soleplate limited to 2008 pairs and in SG-soleplate limited to 500 pairs. Cristiano Ronaldo wore the boots in Champions League Final 2008 in Moscow against Chelsea FC. The game ended 1-1 in fulltime, C.Ronaldo scored Manchester United only goal. Manchester won on penalties 6-5 and making them the Champions of 2008.

Thank you for reading!

Toffem

Nike Tiempo 7 Project

So I just finished yet another project that included football boots. This time the project took me around 12 hours of work and some additional time for the paintjob.

The idea behind this project is influenced by the recent collaboration between Nike and fashion designer “Off-White” c/o Virgil Abloh. So Nike launched ten footwear classics reconstructed in collaboration with Off-White in late October 2017.

Once I had seen this design I really wanted to create a my version of Off-White in a football boot. I also got a cool concept design made on a computer by my friend Gunt Tansuwannarat. And so I did! Follow my steps through the project.

1. I bought a pair of Nike Tiempo 7 “Academy Pack”, as they were already coloured black.

2.  I had to get the leather for the Nike logo, it had to be high quality and very thin because if it´s too thick then you will have problem when sewing it. Also make sure you use a needle constructed for leather.

3. Next thing was to print a paper copy of the Nike logo. Then I used it as a model before cutting the actual leather. Before I even started to attach the new leather logo on the boot I marked the position of the logo with a chalk on side of the boot. This helps me to keep the position of the logo while attaching it.

4. Following step is to glue the logo on place. I used a super glue that is suitable for leather. I glued short steps at time so I got it to fit perfectly and go along the the curvy side of the boot.

5. The next step is the hardest part of it all, the sewing of the logo. As normally when these types of boots are factory made they are sewed by machine and that´s only possible before the plastic soleplate is attached. So without lying this step took me like 8 hours of work, this because I were not familiar with this type of sewing and because I had to use pliers to reach when pushing the needle out from the inside of the boot. I have to admit I were really close to give up few times, until I got the right technique.

6. Next thing was to attach the small orange leather tag to the boot, also by sewing.

7. Before bringing them for the paint job I wanted to add a chrome tongue on them. As the boot looked as good with and without tongue I decided to use velcro tape. This allowed me to remove and attach the tongue if I so want. I sew one side of the velcro underneath the original short tongue on the boot and the other I sew into the new chrome tongue.

8. The boots are ready for paint job at my local artist Maalinetti.com
Here is some pics of the boots before paint job with and without tongue.

9. The boots arrive and the project is finished! I am very happy how they turned up, and I feel like it paid off. Thank you for the positive feedback I got on InstaGram (@toffem). Here is some pics of the final boot:

More detailed pics in a slideshow:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Thank you for reading and please leave feedback!

Kind regards Toffem.

Milestones – Nike Mercurial Vapor III 2006

Nike Mercurial Vapor III was released in 2006, for the FIFA World Cup in Germany. And if Mania was regarded as a peak of Adidas Predator range then we could say the same thing about Nike Mercurial Vapor III. Mercurial Vapor III was the third boot in the Vapor generation and was truly a speed boot. The new feature in Vapor III was Teijin microfiber which added comfort
and a perfect shape to the upper. Also it made the boot more durable than earlier Vapors.

 Nike added also some padding to the heal area with a supportive carbon last. The boot itself weighed around 196g, which was very light back in 2006. Another new feature was the two-piece soleplate that gave extra lightweight.

Nike released 15 different colorways of the Vapor III. Most special of them is the Nike Mercurial Vapor III 10th Anniverary (black/white) they were a limited edition 1000 pairs made to celebrate 10 years of Nike Mercurial!

The boots were worn by Ronaldo, Thierry Henry & Didier Drogba and ofcourse by the rising star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Thank you for reading, more to come!

Milestones – Nike Mercurial Vapor I 2002

In 2002 Nike released the Vapor I, a true speed boot made of light synthetic material. The boots were inspired by Italian sport cars design, giving fast players a perfect balance been lightweight and foot to ground feel. The boot had a slim fitting with a natural shape of the foot, adding many lace holes to get the boots tighten close to the foot. Majority of the stitching’s was replaced with glue to reduce the weight. Originally released in cinder colourway, but followed by several
colourways. 

Also there was a special edition in Chrome/Lime made for Brazilian striker Ronaldo for the World Cup final in 2002. Ronaldo scored two goals against Germany and became World
Cup Champions. The Chrome/Lime was the first numbered limited edition boot by Nike, they were limited to 4600 pairs globally.

For sure one of my favourite boots in the history.

Thank you for reading!

Nike Tiempo VII “Platinum Black”

Nike officially introduced on 26th of June the all new Nike Tiempo VII (7)! They will be sale today 10th of July. Lucky enough I was given this Limited Edition Nike Tiempo VII “Platinum Black” before the official launch, there is only 100 pairs made worldwide and only given to football boot influencers around the world! A big bonus is the fact that they are individually numbere, my pair is numbered 30/100. 

This time Nike really has added some cool new features to the Tiempo VII: 

• Heel area and the tongue is made of Flyknit, reduces the weight by 22%.
• Middlefoot is constructed of flywire cables for better strech and stability.
• On top of the flywire cage Nike added a soft K-leather upper to give a better touch to the ball.
• NikeGrip is also added to the new Tiempo to prevent the foot from sliding inside of the boot.

Nike has also made a whole new soleplate, Hyperstability, and it’s lighter than the previous soleplate. Such a comfortable boot and when you add the good look on this boot then for me this is the best Tiempo ever!

Thank you for reading!

Nike or Adidas?

This is an endless battle between two very succesfull sport brands! We all loved the old school Nike Mercurials and Adidas Predators. I have to admit that I gave up my hope sligthly with Adidas when they announced in 2014 that they would stop making Predator and F50… 

Nike continued strongly with developing the Mercurial range and also creating two new models Magista and Hypervenom. For me the new Mercurial Superfly V, Hypervenom Phantom III & Magista Obra II are one of the best boots Nike have produced in the last years! As I have been wearing Mercurial for most time of my career, I’m happy to see that they are developing the boots all the time.

If the years 2014-2015 were a slight dissapointment from Adidas then they really pushed up things in 2016! Some great boots as the Ace16+ PureControl with laceless technology and X16+ PureAgility to battle as a speed boot against Mercurial!

So both brands are once again seriously compeating of providing players with the best boot options! This is important as competition is the only way to improve your own products.

Nike Hypervenom Phantom DF women’s edition

The boots where released in late January of 2017 and I instantly fell in love with these women’s colourway, perhaps because they really match the release colourway of the first ever Superfly!

Really like the new Nike Hypervenom Phantom III, Nike added some new features that really improves the boot from last generation. 

Features like:

• First time ever a one-piece Flyknit upper that is breathable, streching and the dynamic fit collar gives more support
• Asymmetrical lacing gives you a larger area to control the ball
• “Poron” foam pods in the upper gives a smooth touch while dribbling and once striking the ball they give you a better strike
• The soleplate is compleately new and developed by Nike in over 6 years time. The soleplate is more flexible in the forefoot area and gives more support in the heel. The studs are designed lateral cuts and sharp turns.

Here you can see the “Poron” foam pods, also the one-piece flyknit upper and asymmetrical lacing.

Nike is also using a lockdown system inside of the boots. As you see in the picture there are some lockdown ribbons in the heel area.

A boot worth to try! Thanks for reading.

Nike Mercurial Vapor SL E08 Fg

New addition to my collection, Nike Mercurial Vapor SL E08! Nike released for a special edition of Mercurial Vapor, T90 Shoot and Tiempo for the Euro 2008 championship. This pair right here though is the SL (Super Light) model of the Mercurial Vapor with a carbon fiber soleplate that was never released for public. This particular boot is very rare to find and often they were match worn or issued for proffesional players only. 

My pair is worn by Blerim Džemaili who is playing in the Swiss national team and as midfielder at Bologna. I own another pair of these boots that is coming for sale.

These are definitely in my top 10 best boots! Nothing beats a Mercurial boot in black leather with a touch of blue colour and a carbon fiber soleplate!