In 2008 BMW Group Design unveiled the BMW GINA Light Visionary
Model: a concept car with a seamless, flexible, fabric outer shell
stretched over a movable substructure, whose functions were only
enabled when actually needed. Its interpretation of familiar
functional and structural concepts boldly questioned the philosophy of
car design.
Now GINA has acted as the inspirational force behind a creative
collaboration between Designworks and Puma. The result is the X-CAT
DISC, the latest addition to Puma’s DISC footwear range. Designworks,
a BMW Group subsidiary, provided the link between the partners and was
charged with leading the design process in the development of this
visionary shoe. “The approach was to look at every aspect of making a
shoe and to try and reimagine it. Freeing yourself of what is here now
can be an enjoyable and rewarding exercise. Typically, it also speeds
up change,” says Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design.
DISC technology meets GINA material.
The starting points for this innovative project were the flexible,
ergonomic and lightweight GINA material as well as Puma’s reinvented,
lighter and faster-working DISC technology. Instead of using laces,
this system works with a rotating disc that pulls internal wires to
close and open the shoe. Using only one thin layer of stretchable and
super-light GINA material, the shoe wraps around the foot like a
second skin. Additional seams are no longer necessary and dynamic
movement feels very natural. Since a new material not only allows new
shapes but also enables a different way of thinking about movement,
Designworks embarked on a new approach to motion. “With the X-CAT
project, we wanted to unleash the innovative power of BMW and PUMA. We
have transformed the essence of the shape-shifting GINA car into a
streamlined and elegant shoe,” says Torsten Hochstetter, Global
Creative Director at Puma.
The X-CAT design: A shoe that envelops the moving foot.
The X-CAT DISC is about essential character, lightweight design,
adaptability and performance. In the spirit of GINA, the designers
treated the foot as a kind of chassis in itself. They re-engineered
the original automotive material to ensure it was breathable and
sufficiently durable to meet the needs of a shoe that wraps around the
foot in a single piece. Uniting beauty and performance, they created a
light shoe with a very simple design gesture. Automotive design
thinking is immediately evident in the proportions that make the
material shine – and in the simplicity that prevents it from competing
with too many other design features. Fine, laser-cut perforations flow
across the front of the X-CAT, underlining the impression of motion
while adding ventilation.
Another design cue taken from the original GINA concept is the
functional aesthetic of revealing the underlying structure when
tightening the shoe. The designers also re-thought the concept for the
sole and the Puma DISC, applying BMW engineering approaches to add
greater precision. They viewed the sole as the engine of the foot, the
driver of movement. This produced a unique design which was inspired
by interconnecting gears and integrates both engineered flexibility
and interlinked stability.
The BMW X-CAT DISC will be available in selected Puma stores across
the world from 1 July 2016. design.
In the event of inquiries please contact:
Birgit Pucklitzsch, Communications Manager, Designworks
Tel: +49-89-5484-9361, Fax: +49-89-5484-9399
E-mail:
birgit.pucklitzsch@designworksusa.com
Internet: www.bmwgroupdesignworks.com
Designworks, A BMW Group Company
Designworks is a BMW Group company and a creative consultancy
that’s been driving innovation for more than forty years. Acquired by
BMW Group in 1995, Designworks enables its parent company as well as
internationally-renowned clients outside the automotive industry to
grow their businesses through design and creative consulting services.
With clients including BMW, MINI, Rolls Royce, HP, Microsoft, Corsair,
Coca Cola, Embraer, Neil Pryde, John Deere, Siemens Trains and
Singapore Airlines, Designworks is deeply immersed in a broad
cross-section of industries. With studios in Los Angeles, Munich and
Shanghai, Designworks draws upon unique and vibrant resources of
knowledge to create the future. www.bmwgroupdesignworks.com