Nike Flywire is a thread, composed of vectran or nylon, developed by Nike to minimize weight and maximize support, and used in the upper part of a sneaker. Shoes containing Flywire became available for consumer purchase in 2008. Development Flywire was created by Jay Meschter, Director of Innovation at Nike. He began by taking a last (an object shaped like a foot used to design shoes) and marking the key points of where a shoe needs to support the foot. When Meschter saw an embroidery machine, he determined the machine could be used to make long stitches. Long stitches allow lightweight fibers to support the foot in key points, instead of using layers of material that support the whole foot. This idea was pioneered by Adi Dassler in 1949, when he added 3 reinforcing stripes to his canvas Adidas running shoe. Design The goal of the design is to help and support the foot using the lightest and strongest material possible, Vectran. The Flywire design (threads placed in key parts of the upper) prevents the foot from slipping when running. Flywire is also a minimalist idea (the idea that items should only contain necessities), since the upper only contains the fundamental features. This allows the maximum amount of energy to be moved forward each stride. Vectran Nike adapts Vectran fibers, which are produced by Kuraray, into embroidery threads, before use in the shoe. Vectran fibers are thinner than human hair, and relatively inexpensive. Vectran is lightweight, flexible, and high in tensile strength, the stress at which material deforms (five times stronger than steel), which makes it an ideal component for synthetic fibers. Vectran has also been used by NASA and in bicycle tires, among other things. Support Nike designed Flywire with inspiration from a suspension bridge, where many cables provide support. This allows support to be placed where necessary, especially in the forefoot (metatarsus and toes) and heel. The cables are designed to wrap around the foot like tendons. Since the support does not come from layers of material, the shoe is also more flexible. The only layers of material on the shoe are in place to prevent dirt and rocks from reaching the foot. Weight Due to the Vectran fibers, shoes containing Nike Flywire weigh as little as 93 grams, "approximately the weight of a Snickers bar with a bite missing." There is little excess weight because the upper