Nike Swift Technology
Anything that reduces drag during competition benefits an athlete, particularly in an event like the 100m. The race that crowns the world’s fastest man is a sprint for photo finishes where hundredths of a second determine the difference between first and fourth. With 7% less drag than Athens, wearing the new Nike Swift Suit translates to a benefit of about .02 of a second in the 100 m. No small matter given that Asafa Powell recently beat his record in that race by less than that time.
This year Nike Swift product expands for Beijing. In addition to the Nike Swift unitard athletes will have the choice of a whole new system of dress that takes the Nike Swift learnings to other track and field apparel. Nike wanted to create options for athletes since competition isn’t simply about the most lightweight, aerodynamic equipment but also confidence. It’s the essential ingredient athletes need to perform their best, and to ensure they have apparel in which they’re comfortable.
The Nike Swift unitard for Beijing has been entirely re-engineered from all new, more aerodynamic fabrics. The suit has passive cooling with Aerographics at the back. Made when select yarns in the fabric have been dissolved, the technology creates precisely-placed mesh panels. As in previous suits, seams have not only moved to the back but this year thanks to No Sew technology, some seams and edges have been removed entirely. Getting the unitard right has taken more than a dozen fittings with elite athletes. Now not only is it the fastest Nike Swift Suit, it’s also made of entirely 100% recycled polyester yarns reclaimed from soda bottles, post-consumer uniforms, post-industrial fiber and fabric scrap. To date Nike Swift apparel across sports including Track and Field, Swimming and Cycling posted 76 medals and 25 world records.
Since Nike began the Nike Swift project in preparation for the Sydney, the design team has tested well over 200 fabrics and developed a special wind tunnel, the Nike Aeromatrix. Created specifically for fabric testing, the Aeromatrix provides designers a system for analyzing fabrics at wind speeds up to 100 mph in different orientations. This allows designers to characterize every single fabric based on a testing protocol to ensure the materials they pick have the best performance characteristics before testing a full suit. With this encyclopedic catalogue, the design team can decide which fabric is best for the type of wind resistance encountered not only in a particular sport, but on a particular part of the body in a particular sport. This knowledge was essential in developing the new Nike Swift Singlet and Short, as well as the Nike Swift System of Dress.
Nike Swift Singlet and Short
The Nike Swift Singlet and Short were designed to give athletes alternatives to the full body unitard. When athletes wore a traditional singlet and split-seam shorts, the apparel billowed behind them like a sail, nearly tripling an athlete’s drag. Nike designers on the AIT, or Advanced Innovation Team dedicated to creating the most advance apparel available for elite athletes, decided to bring Nike Swift’s aerodynamic advantage to other apparel. Nike designer Nate Demerest came up with the new Swift Singlet and Short to keep the silhouette of garments athletes were comfortable in. Only now the tank and short have a one-to-one fit, almost like a second skin.
In developing it, he looked at the difference in physique between sprinters and distance runners. Sprinters have larger upper bodies with broader backs and chests and didn’t need as much ventilation since they wear their singlets for far less time. The Swift Singlet has a new ergonomically designed racer back created specifically for sprinters’ and hurdlers’ body type. The T-back anchors behind the shoulders so the straps won’t slip. This allows for a full range of motion but locks the garment down on the body to prevent any distraction in competition. Designed with Aerographics mesh at the back, the singlet has zoned cooling as well as minimal seams. The circumference of the arm holes has no binding, hems or seams thanks to No Sew technology to reduce any element that might chafe, and the Swift Short has elastic in the back, so the front is flat to reduce any extra wind resistance.