Wolverine Opens Boston Innovation Hub
Wolverine World Wide, the parent company of the Merrell, Saucony, Wolverine and Sweaty Brands, recently opened a global Innovation Hub in Boston, MA. The 11,000-square-foot facility will accommodate employees from the company’s design and product teams, including Saucony product team members in design, development, product management and merchandising.
The opening comes one month after Wolverine Worldwide opened new office space in Zhuhai, China, and two months after opening a new workspace in Hong Kong. Additionally, the company’s Sweaty Betty brand relocated to new offices this summer following renovations to the company’s King’s Place office in London.
“Boston is an amazing city with a deep connection to our brands and exceptional design and footwear talent and we are excited to open our first global Innovation Hub in the heart of downtown,” says Chris Hufnagel, president and CEO, Wolverine Worldwide. “With this Innovation Hub, our team of design, development and merchandising leaders are well-positioned to design awesome products and continue transforming Wolverine Worldwide into a consumer-focused builder of great global brands.”
Renovations to the company’s global headquarters in Michigan are currently underway and new environments for Merrell and Saucony are scheduled for completion in Spring 2025.
Oofos Partners With Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon
Oofos has been named as the Official Recovery Partner of the 2025 Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon. This collaboration brings a recovery-focused experience to, with activations throughout race weekend to help participants rejuvenate and celebrate their achievement.
For the first time in Pittsburgh Marathon history, there will be an Official Recovery Zone and Lounge in the finish line chute and Finish Line Festival powered by Cleveland Brothers, offering participants a dedicated space to rejuvenate, recharge and enhance their post-race recovery experience. This specially designed area will feature Oofos’ footwear. Additionally, the festival will offer activations and enhancements to help participants relax, socialize and celebrate as they kick-off their recovery with friends and family
Superfeet Named in Best Places To Work
Superfeet, the maker of performance insoles, was recently recognized as one of The 50 Best Places to Work in 2024 by Outside Magazine. This recognition highlights Superfeet’s ongoing commitment to fostering a culture of empowerment, flexibility and community engagement for its team of more than 150 employees. The award, a mark of excellence shared with other industry-leading organizations, such as GoPro and Stio, is the result of an extensive evaluation process, including anonymous employee surveys and a thorough review of workplace practices. The recognition is a testament to Superfeet’s dedication to creating an environment where employees are valued, motivated and equipped to excel.
“We’re thrilled to be recognized as one of Outside’s Best Places to Work,” says Trip Randall, CEO of Superfeet. “Superfeet is a people-first organization and we are deeply committed to building a culture of respect, inclusion and innovation, where all team members feel supported and empowered. This award validates our approach of prioritizing people, purpose and positive impact, and we’ll continue to build on this momentum, investing in our employees to drive growth and success.”
This recognition reflects the company’s dedication to a supportive and collaborative culture. Superfeet team members participate in cross-departmental committees, engaging all-company meetings and annual strategic planning sessions that encourage involvement from employees at every level. An overwhelming majority of employees report feeling respected, empowered and confident in the company’s future direction.
Edy Returns as Inov8 CEO
Inov8 founder Wayne Edy has returned to the company as CEO to lead the brand into 2025. Joining him is Michael Price, returning as product and marketing director after six successful previous years at the company from 2016-2022.
Ashworth Forges Partnership With Scimitar
Scimitar Custom Sportswear and Ashworth Awards have joined forces to provide event organizers with a one-stop solution for recognition and promotional needs. The partnership combines Scimitar’s expertise in high-performance custom apparel with Ashworth Awards’ custom medals and awards.
Both companies bring a commitment to eco-friendly practices, ensuring that the products they deliver reflect a responsibility to the planet. Scimitar is known for producing custom sportswear from recycled materials, including plastic bottles and organic fabrics, while ensuring exceptional performance and durability. Similarly, Ashworth Awards has pioneered the use of recycled materials in its medals and awards, alongside sustainable manufacturing processes that reduce environmental impact.
“Sustainability is a cornerstone for both companies,” says Mike Schmitz, director of strategic development at Ashworth Awards. “This partnership allows us to expand the reach of eco-friendly practices while delivering premium-quality products that reflect the values of the running and sports communities. Together, we’re not just supporting events, we’re shaping a more sustainable future for the industry.”
This collaboration will enable event organizers to access cohesive branding solutions, from apparel to medals, that are collaboratively designed to leave a lasting impression without compromising environmental stewardship. The partnership also offers race directors and event organizers the ability to create a cohesive and elevated experience for participants. Custom-designed medals, awards, performance apparel, and other promotional products from keychains, to pins, hats, archways, and more can now be seamlessly integrated to reflect the unique identity of each event, while also enhancing its overall value.
Tailwind Introduces High Carb Fuel
In early 2025 Tailwind will be introducing its High Carb Fuel. This power-packed drink mix is specially designed for high-intensity efforts, offering a higher carbohydrate content to maximize fuel per sip. Research indicates that the body’s maximum absorption of carbohydrates is 60 grams per hour for glucose and 30 grams per hour for fructose, for a total of 90g/hr. The High Carb formula contains 90 grams of carbs in the ideal 2:1 ratio of glucose to fructose. This means your body can absorb High Carb Fuel more effectively than single-carbohydrate formulas when consuming 90 grams of carbohydrates per hour.
After years of research and development, this high-carb solution was scientifically formulated to optimize energy and performance, backed by rigorous research and the latest nutritional science. High Carb Fuel was also tested for months in the field by high-level athletes across the endurance sports world.
High Carb Fuel comes in two flavors: Ginger Lime, which features organic, real ginger extract known to help with nausea and digestion; and Lemonade—a refreshing flavor to keep you going.
Voormi Wins CES 2025 Innovation Award
Voormi recently received recognition as a CES 2025 Innovation Awards Honoree in the Fashion Technology category. This prestigious award celebrates outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology, highlighting products that shape the future across a variety of categories. Each year, the CES Innovation Awards receive more than 3000 submissions from companies worldwide, with honoree status reserved for products that achieve the highest ratings from expert judges.
Voormi (pronounced “voor-me”) was recognized for its new wearable technology, Mij (pronounced “me”), which pioneers a new standard in health monitoring. Mij is the first wearable specifically designed to track and optimize Thermal Stress — a critical metric that current wearable devices can’t capture. Using advanced sensor-based textile technology, Mij is seamlessly integrated into everyday garments to monitor body temperature and humidity continuously, giving users real-time insights into their personal “thermal performance” as they move through their day. With early warnings related to thermal stress, Mij serves as a powerful wellness tool, helping individuals better manage their body temperature for optimized health.
One of Mij’s most powerful features is its ability to integrate with data from other wearables, allowing users to combine thermal insights with metrics like heart rate, activity levels and sleep patterns. This layered approach provides a more holistic view of personal health, enabling users to see how their thermal management interacts with other health factors, such as cardiovascular performance, muscle recovery, stress levels, and sleep quality.
CES 2025 will take place January 7-10, in Las Vegas, NV, where Voormi will showcase the award-winning Mij technology.
New Product: Inov8 Triathlon Running Shoe Range
Inov8 has launched its most versatile trail running shoe range — the Trailtalon series that features three models that are built for off-road on every type of terrain. It also marks an evolution of Inov8’s Roclite range.
The brand’s Trailtalon, Trailtalon GTX and Trailtalon Speed are designed for performance through soft mud as well as over hard-packed paths thanks to its rubber outsole lugs. Measuring 6mm in depth, shaped like the hooves of mountain goats and infused with graphene, the world’s strongest material, the versatile lugs not only grip into soft ground but also run smooth on hard terrain.
The Trailtalon range sits between the Trailfly series, with its 4mm lugs designed for hard trail grip, and the Mudtalon range, with its 8mm lugs designed for muddy grip. Each of the shoes in the Trailtalon range features Inov8’s new anatomical foot-shaped design and enhanced locked-in fit. All share the same grip pattern and underfoot foam, which gives a balance of cushioning and ground feel. The trio boast protective uppers that flex and breathe for an overall feel that’s fast, light and natural.
The Trailtalon and Trailtalon GTX shoes are built the same, except the GTX includes a waterproof Gore-Tex membrane. The Trailtalon Speed has less cushioning, allowing the foot to sit closer to the ground for a faster feel. The upper on the Trailtalon Speed is also more stripped-back, making it even lighter.
New Product: NNormal Kboix 01
NNormal, the sports equipment brand founded by Kilian Jornet and Camper in 2022, recently released 500 pairs of the NNormal Kboix 01, a modular design that represents their most innovative shoe to date. The Kboix 01 is a multisport shoe featuring three interchangeable midsoles that allow users to optimize it for different adventures. With the launch of the Kboix 01, NNormal aims to provide users with a shoe that not only lasts but also offers the flexibility to adapt to each individual’s needs and the varying terrain or conditions they may encounter. The shoe’s modular design allows its midsole to be swapped in just seconds, so a single shoe can adapt to different types of terrain and outdoor movement.
Each midsole is designed for varying terrain, workout intensities and body types. Upon purchasing NNormal Kboix 01, each customer can choose two out of the three available midsoles and has the option to buy a third separately, as each is also sold individually.
This shoe was developed through a collaborative process known as the Kboix Experience, which gathered insights from 150 athletes, runners and outdoor enthusiasts as they tested prototypes of the shoe. One year after this process began Kboix 01 is finally hitting the market in a limited quantity.
Fleet Feet Appoints Sipling VP–Marketing and Digital
Fleet Feet, recently named Jonathan Sipling VP–marketing and digital, a newly created role where he will focus on expanding the company’s brand visibility, bolster customer engagement and drive omnichannel and e-commerce growth. He will also support Fleet Feet’s franchise and company-owned brick-and-mortar stores, reporting to COO Jason Jabaut.
Sipling brings more than 20 years of experience to the position. Previously, he was Dish Wireless’s chief merchandising officer, overseeing marketing strategy, execution and digital operations for Boost Mobile, Boost Infinite and the Dish retail wireless business. He has also held positions at Elevate Brands and Wayfair and had roles at Amazon, Adidas and McKinsey & Company.
Sipling’s appointment rounds out Fleet Feet’s recent executive hires in business operations, finance, IT, and supply chain, as well as leadership expansions and promotions across business development, human resources and marketing.
Cirql Zero Wins ISPO BrandNew
Cirql, a Vietnam-based innovation company focused on developing scalable, less impactful, finished midsole components and material solutions for footwear brands, has won the ISPO BrandNew Award in the sustainability category for its latest innovation, Cirql Zero – an industrially compostable, biodegradable foam for footwear midsoles.
A patent-pending innovation, Cirql Zero can be tuned to meet the design specs required by footwear brands. At the end of the product’s life, Cirql Zero exceeds the industrial compostability testing standard of 90 percent degradation in 180 days. It will be fully compostable in industrial composting.
A standout feature of Cirql Zero is its manufacturing versatility. This midsole foam can be produced using supercritical foaming (SCF) technology in an autoclave process. This flexibility ensures that Cirql Zero is accessible to a broad range of manufacturers, streamlining its integration into existing production processes and paving the way for its rapid adoption across the global footwear industry. Cirql Zero is the first midsole foam of its kind that can be scaled to hundreds of millions of pairs of shoes annually.
The ISPO BrandNew Award identifies innovative and creative newcomer brands in the sports and outdoor industry, showcasing cutting-edge brands from around the world who are pushing the boundaries of their fields with new materials, technology, and sustainable practices. It is the world's largest international start-up competition in the sporting goods industry and is open to up-and-coming companies with innovative or new sport products in the field of sports.
New Balance Signs Graham Blanks
New Balance has signed Graham Blanks, two-time NCAA champion, 2024 Olympian, and previously a New Balance NIL athlete, to a professional sponsorship. Blanks joins Team New Balance after a stellar collegiate career, highlighted by his historic win at the 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Cross Country Championships — making him the first Ivy League athlete to claim the NCAA title in this event and a few weeks later achieved the World Championship qualifying standard, running the second fastest time in NCAA history in the 5000M indoors. In the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships, Blanks earned a silver medal in the 5000M and placed sixth in the 10,000M. Blanks will continue his studies at Harvard University while remaining coached under his collegiate coach, Alex Gibby.
As Blanks transitions to the professional ranks, his continued partnership with New Balance marks an milestone for the brand. New Balance remains committed to inspiring the next generation of athletes, leading the way in the NIL space, and giving back to the communities that support them — all while continuing to deliver best-in-class performance running products.
New Product: Peluva Strand Sport Mesh
Minimalist footwear brand Peluva has introduced its Strand Sport Mesh, a new shoe that includes the same features fans know about Peluvas (five-toed construction, specialized EVA midsole, and zero-drop flexible sole), with a new breathable mesh fabric. The Strand Sport Mesh (MSRP: $139.99) lightweight trainer (only 7.2 ounces) has the essential feature of five individual toe slots for barefoot functionality. The specialized EVA midsole and strategically placed rubber treads at critical anatomical wear points provides grip on all surfaces, wet or dry. The zero-drop, flexible sole contains just the right amount (9 mm stack height) of cushioning to feel like you're "walking barefoot on a putting green."
