980 TATOU is a shoe designed for the special needs of the urban sport Le Parkour. Its structure responds to the unique movements performed in the sport, and its several detachable parts allow for easy exchange, washing, and customisation.
Le Parkour is an activity mostly practiced in urban environments with the aim of moving from one point to another as efficiently and quickly as possible. It uses only the abilities of one’s body to overcome obstacles such as concrete walls. People who practice Le Parkour often use shoes that are designed for other purposes such as running or skating. When used in the very different circumstances of Le Parkour, they wear out quickly. 980 TATOU is a shoe specifically designed for the requirements of Le Parkour.
The shoe consists of several parts, which can be easily changed. One part is the outer sole – a combination of the sole with the upper parts of the shoe, which offers grip on the sides as well as the sole. This is needed for jumping onto or from walls. The parts of the shoe that suffer from the most impact and abrasion have been given a greater sole or wall thickness. The gaps in the outer sole preserve excellent flexibility. When the outer sole does wear out, it can be changed without the need to replace the whole shoe.
Another important element of 980 TATOU is the separate inner shoe. It allows the user to practice with a barefoot feeling and a high sensitivity for what lays underfoot. It can also be removed and changed, so the wearer can have different inner shoes for different applications. Furthermore, it is washable, so smelly shoes can be avoided!
Insoles are an optional extra for 980 TATOU, and they come with three different absorption levels. They can be used to customise the shoe for one’s own personal preferences, depending on the application.
Instead of shoelaces, 980 TATOU uses a new method of fastening which also enables the wearer to customise the shoe. Elastic bands in three different lengths are applied to the bottom and upper part of the shoe. Altogether, a maximum of seven bands in twenty different color choices can be attached to ten possible locations on the upper shoe. Thus, there are a multitude of possible lacing combinations. |
