Lululemon has launched revolutionary merchandise for girls for over twenty years, with their focus now turning to women-specific footwear. The first of 4 new sneakers is the Blissfeel working shoe.
It’s a needed innovation. For the first time in historic previous, in 2018 girls outnumbered males in races; merely over 50 p.c of runners acknowledged as female, up from beneath 20% in 1986 (Livestrong, 2022) (Uncover further working statistics at https://www.livestrong.com/article/13730338-running-statistics/ )
Most sneakers have been designed for elite male athletes, however girls differ from males within the place the foot strikes the underside and center of gravity. As an example, girls runners are prone to have further increased physique rotation and ankle flexion transferring by way of the stride.
Blissfeel is the outcomes of analyzing girls’s biomechanics and neurophysiology, basing shoe design on hundreds and hundreds of foot scans and the recommendations from three rounds of wear-testing. The aim was to create a shoe that may match and actually really feel great on quite a lot of runners, versus tailoring the shoe to a specific type of runner or train.
The top consequence?—Certain, please.
The match is cosy and supportive, and the one actual unit provides a big base and a extremely {{smooth}} roll forward with distinctive grip. Its comfort makes it a terrific shoe for casual placed on—however it’s too top quality of a working shoe to categorize it as such.
In relation to the quick toe-off, the closest sneakers I’ve run in to Blissfeel embrace the Brooks Launch GTS 9 and the half-plated ASICS MAGIC SPEED.
Regarding the common base of Blissfeel it compares with the HOKA Gaviota and the Brooks Transcend 6 (I’ve however to run inside the latest iteration now named Glycerin GTS).
The Launch GTS has a extremely associated, {{smooth}} journey; a lot much less cushion; and a barely less-secure increased lock-down. These changes make clear the Launch GTS being merely over 2 ounces lighter per shoe. The propulsion at toe-off is most blatant inside the Blissfeel, however the lighter weight of GTS Launch brings the revenue about even.
I uncover Launch GTS to be moderately safe with Blissfeel offering further of a base beneath the foot, notably noticeable inside the heel. Blissfeel has a cushty, protected midfoot lock down with arching assist strips and additional supplies whereas the thinner GTS 9 leaves slight home. The additional padded tongue of Blissfeel prevents the latest spots felt when dialing inside the midfoot match of GTS.
Blissfeel costs $148 USD and is on the market in ten colorways. Maintain your eyes peeled for 3 further girls’s sneakers to drop from Lululemon this 12 months—Chargeful the mannequin’s cross-training operate will be launched rapidly—adopted by a males’s assortment to be revealed in 2023.
Lululemon Blissfeel First Impressions
picture of Lululemon Blissfeel
I was intrigued from the second I laid eyes on this shoe because of this mannequin is new to the working shoe scene, because of I was skeptical of the “boomerang wings” within the course of the heel, and attributable to daring curiosity a few totally unknown midsole.
My first steps in Blissfeel revealed a buttery-smooth roll into toe-off. It was so excellent I assumed this may be attributable to a extreme drop, like inside the girls’s ASICS Gel-Kayano which had a 13 mm. drop as compared with the boys’s 10 mm. for years (they’ve now corrected this to 10 mm. all through the highway inside the Kayano 28).
A too-high drop locations elevated stress on the ball of my foot, so I was fully completely satisfied to look out that Blissfeel is reported to have a 9.5 mm. drop.
The brief roll off the toes is due to the final design versus the drop, and I didn’t uncover a scorching spot beneath the ball of my foot as I did in older Kayano fashions. Possibly these additional “boomerang” objects tie the heel further intently to the midfoot and are one trigger for the distinctive journey.
Lululemon Blissfeel Sole Unit
picture of Lululemon Blissfeel
“Supple” is a phrase I’ve not at all used sooner than this evaluation. It obtained right here to ideas to elucidate the cushion of Blissfeel.
The definition for supple is “bending and transferring merely and gracefully, versatile; it might truly suggest “delicate.” All of that’s true of the Blissfeel journey whatever the midsole not being versatile inside the typical sense.
The midfoot within reason stiff — assume GT-2000 diploma assist — however the texture is “supple” underfoot and quick into toe-off.
Lululemon stays defending about its midsole supplies, not leaking particulars about its combine or maybe a selected title for it. Grabbing summer season footwear yesterday I noticed that the feel underfoot in Blissfeel is strikingly very similar to what I experience going barefoot in New Steadiness 200 Slides — an extra-special take care of for my toes that I “splurged” on with my half marathon age – group prize money from a neighborhood working retailer in 2020. I actually actually really feel the an identical wow-factor in Blissfeel. New Steadiness merely calls their sole a “Plush footbed” in an EVA ground-contact service.
What Blissfeel and the restoration sandal share is a perfectly delicate actually really feel with out being squishy. They seem company nonetheless on the an identical time inviting.
The drop is 9.5 mm. with a stack prime of 32.5, however the forefoot has a surprisingly linked ground actually really feel.
Eradicating the sock liner there is no such thing as a such factor as a dip beneath the ball of my foot with over 80 miles on the shoe which bodes correctly for a protracted life from this midsole.
picture of Lululemon Blissfeel
The outsole offers distinctive grip with a heel landing pad separated from a much bigger a part of rubber working laterally as a lot as cowl nearly all of the forefoot, and smaller segments beneath the toes and midfoot. Each rubber piece is segmented by traces working vertically and horizontally and is roofed by further “polka dots” that stick out barely for added grip.
Now with roughly 80 miles on the shoe my placed on pattern on these dots reveals very important placed on on my lateral heel transferring to centered placed on within the course of the ball into medial placed on halfway by way of the toes that’s (surprisingly) adopted by an apparent mid-lateral toe-off.
Possibly that is due to a semi-curved last which makes a center toe-off appear lateral underfoot? Whereas I try to find out that pattern out, go ahead and run in these your self to see what they reveal about your movement by way of foot plant!
Lululemon Blissfeel Increased Unit
picture of Lululemon Blissfeel
Blissfeel takes a surprising methodology to a heel counter. Did you, like me, marvel if the boomerang-shaped wing on both sides of the once more of the shoe had been purely decorative?
Analyzing the shoe I uncover that there’s no inside heel counter inside the very once more of the heel. The semi-stiff pleather is, nonetheless, bordered by the wings of those boomerangs which happen to make a sufficiently robust heel counter that moreover secures a company connection between heel and midfoot, aiding the journey that I so admire on this shoe.
picture of Lululemon Blissfeel
The designers succeeded: Blissfeel fits desire it was made for my foot! The moderately breathable double-layer mesh hugs my midfoot after which relaxes to accommodate widening on the ball. It appears that evidently this way is further widespread of a woman’s foot, I found whereas researching for this shoe. ASICS is the alternative mannequin I’ve found to swimsuit correctly on this regard.
The excellence from a typical ASICS match is that Blissfeel offers a barely further roomy toebox—nonetheless not an extreme quantity of home for people who like a shallow match.
Assist strips paying homage to On Cloudace and some adidas fashions curve vertically up the shoe correct beneath the ball the place my foot narrows into midfoot.
The assistance strips curve as a lot as embrace the middle two eyelets (of 6) on both facet, then proceed in a diagonal once more to the center of the “boomerang” heel counter/connection piece.
Immediately above the diagonal strip a {{smooth}} bulge of padding circles the ankle opening exterior the shoe and extends proper right into a wider cushion contained within the ankle opening.
I would love a lower reduce and a softer opening on the prime of the ankle. The stiff supplies correct on the prime reduce into my ankle at components until I redid the lacing to complete by way of the second hole.
This isn’t one factor I generally experience and one factor the mannequin ought to change in a second model. By not using the very best laces hole I was able to alleviate numerous the irritation.
This lacing leaves already-long laces even longer, and I generally double or triple knot every string and loop to cut back flapping.
The tongue is as skinny as that of Brooks Launch GTS correct on the prime nonetheless quickly transitions to a fragile pad that protects the foot from tight laces. The tongue connects to the underside contained within the shoe on each side, paying homage to Saucony’s ISOFIT increased.
Blissfeel’s tongue is a perfect cross between the plush, linked ISOFIT tongue and Nike’s neoprene-wrap mannequin inside the genuine Odyssey React. It protects the foot and retains the tongue in place on the expense of heat attenuation and added weight.
The upper on the tip of the toe is protected by a thin assist strip that favors the inside of the aim of the toe.
All collectively it holds my foot fully protected and fits true to dimension.
The sock liner is pretty customary apart from added building beneath the arch. This makes for the medium-low padding I actually really feel beneath my arches.
Beneath the insole (sock liner) are circle cut-outs in a thin layer above the midsole, which I’ve solely seen sooner than in Nike Odyssey React and some HOKA fashions. Possibly that’s to lower the burden ever-so-slightly or to strengthen a fragile actually really feel. When you already know the reason for these cut-outs, please let me know inside the suggestions.
Lululemon Blissfeel Conclusion
picture of Lululemon Blissfeel
Lululemon wins 10/10 on a {{smooth}} journey and on meeting their function of comfort and suppleness underfoot and 9/10 on a protected, cozy increased attributable to a cushty match nonetheless a troublesome edge throughout the ankle.
My favorite part of this shoe is how seamlessly it rolls into toe-off.
Lululemon took a model new methodology to a heel counter that appears to have the dual carry out of aiding the transition, maxed out on outsole supplies, and centered on actually really feel pretty than a specific carry out (previous being fitted to working, in spite of everything).
I look forward to seeing what the mannequin’s three selections (for widespread workout routines, energy teaching, and restoration) are like along with what modifications they make to the second model of Blissfeel.
The cautious consideration to specific girls’s toes and biomechanics together with listening correctly to prototype recommendations resulted in a stellar first shoe from Lululemon. Males, maintain Lululemon in your radar for 2023 as they plan to extend proper right into a males’s line.
As editorial protection, we do not settle at no cost samples from firms.
We purchased this pair of Lululemon Blissfeel at Lululemon with our private money.
