COMO, Italy (BRAIN) — Michelin and Northwave have worked together to create a new sole for Northwave mountain bike shoes, borrowing technology from Michelin's radial tires.
Northwave will introduce three new shoes using the soles at the Eurobike show in Germany next month. The Italian brand did not reveal details of the products on Wednesday, but did say Northwave will have a worldwide exclusive on the technology. It did not say how long the exclusive agreement will last.
"The agreement we signed with Michelin Soles is a great stride for our company," said Northwave founder and president Gianni Piva. "Tire treads' technology by Michelin means a terrific strategic added-value to further improve the performance of our off-road footwear."
In the past Michelin has worked with other shoe brands to develop soles for tennis, handball and gardening. Last year, Michelin made an agreement with China's Jihua — a state-owned textile and clothing company — to form JV International, a company formed to develop technical soles for use on safety, outdoor and leisure footwear. JV International has its headquarters in Como, Italy, and a design center research group in Verona. The Northwave shoes are a product of the JV International agreement.
