We went under the skin of the Nike Hypervenom II with the help of the design team who brought the boots to life.
Joined by the elite of Nike Football, we took in-depth look at the journey from early stages of development on to prototypes right through to the finished article. VP Footwear Football at Nike, Max Blau, as well as lead designer on the project Phil Woodman and Sr. Footwear Design Director, Nathan VanHook gave a valuable insight into the inspiration behind the game changing next chapter in the Hypervenom story.
Helping to steer the product, Nathan VanHook - the newest member of the team - explains the starting point of the project. "We always start with the athlete first and who we want to have in it, who do we want this product for, what do we want it to have lock with them, what's some insights that we've seen – really minute insight that can become something bigger and then also what the larger vision of the boot would and should be and what do we want that iconic read to be and kind of having this unbashful treatment to the product."
Phil Woodman was largely responsible for bringing both the aesthetic and performance elements together to create the finished article. “Our earliest concepts were kind of like frankenstein models of the original Hypervenom, using early renditions of the Mercurial Superfly collar. At this point we were early on in the development process and we wanted to gage the reaction from the agile breed of players and see if was something that really resonated with their game.” 
“We gained such great traction with the first Hypervenom after using our NikeSkin technology for the first time and using a full mesh upper. So with this boot we really combined the benefits of the NikeSkin mesh package with a Flyknit collar and we did it in such a way that when you feel on the inside of the boot, there are no seems. It's completely seamless and has the most seamless fit we've ever created."
Stay tuned for extended interviews with each member of the Nike Football design team. The Nike Hypervenom II will be available from May 27 at selected online stockists including Pro-Direct Soccer. Like 'em? Let us know in the comments below.
