Naked Sports Innovations’ line of products has evolved a lot from the popular Running Band that started it all, and this month they announced plans for their first trail running shoe, the Naked T/r. So we sat down with Naked’s President and Co-founder, Lindsay Dakota, to break down their debut model, from (laceless!) upper to outsole; the challenges of growing a small brand sustainably; the future of footwear; how the notion of “simplexity” drives Naked’s design process; and a whole lot more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Starting with the Naked Running Band (5:40)
• “Was the Naked Band’s popularity a surprise?” (6:50)
• Exopower mesh & “simplexity” (8:52)
• Naked products on non-affiliated elites (12:49)
• How Lindsay thinks about fit (15:04)
• The importance of supporting athletes (16:11)
• Striving for sustainability (17:20)
• Expanding Naked’s line of products (21:18)
• What is a “cooling face fabric?” (22:43)
• Working with Vibram (25:26)
• The Naked T/r Trail Racing Shoe (26:57)
• Small brands & the state of trail running (46:20)

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

• Blister Podcast
• GEAR:30 podcast
• Bikes & Big Ideas podcast

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