FCTRY LAb: Cop or Flop?
What happens when a former designer from Yeezy finds himself out of a job? Omar Bailey worked as the former head of Innovation for Yeezy/Adidas from May 2019 to May 2022. During this time Omar influenced the design and creation of a multitude of different Yeezy silhouettes and colorways. Adidas cut ties with their high-profile partner Kanye West in October of 2022. This split led to Omar being on the look for a new job. Instead of sulking about not having a job Omar saw this as an opportunity to fulfill his own dream of starting his own sneaker brand and created the brand FCTRY Lab in 2023.
What do you think about the FCTRY LAb Knight RNNR V1? Let us know in the comments!
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| Source: FCTRY LAb FCTRY LAb released its first sneaker silhouette on march 15th 2023. The sneaker is called the Knight RNNR V1 and is comprised of EVA-style foam. This sneaker was released for a retail price of 140 USD. This sneaker features a one-part upper that is molded in a way that is revolutionizing sneaker manufacturing. This sneaker was released in two colorways one being an all-black colorway and the other an all-blue. The release was available in men's and women's sizes and sold out in all sizes in less than a week. |
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| Source: SOLE RETRIEVER |
I personally was able to get my hands on a pair and I have worn them a few times. During the time I spent wearing these shoes, I formed my own opinions about the sneaker. Although I love the modern look, amazing unboxing experience, and premium packaging of these sneakers the comfort and sizing ultimately hold this shoe back. The foam that they used is a stiffer foam that does not feel as comfortable as one would expect from a $140 shoe. The other issue with comfortability comes from the shoe's extremely narrow opening that tends to rub against your ankle bone as you walk. Overall, this shoe has a multitude of amazing features that make FCTRY LAb an exciting brand to follow but they must improve upon comfort wise in order to find true success in an already jam-packed market.
The industry standard shoe design and production process normally takes 8 - 12 months, however, the team headed by Omar Bailey cut that timeline down dramatically. FCTRY LAb was able to take the Knight RNNR V1 from concept into the hands of consumers in less than 60 days. Shoemaker's Academy points out that a new shoe development sample can take 4-6 weeks to process. Compared to other companies who go through many rounds of samples, this would suggest that the FCTRY LAb team was satisfied with their first design and decided to push it through to in-house production. While this is the fastest path to market for Omar Bailey and his team, in-house production is likely very costly and difficult to meet the demand for the Knight RNNR V1s. As the business grows FCTRY LAb will likely look for opportunities to tweak the design based on customer reviews, streamlining production, and releasing larger batches.
The industry standard shoe design and production process normally takes 8 - 12 months, however, the team headed by Omar Bailey cut that timeline down dramatically. FCTRY LAb was able to take the Knight RNNR V1 from concept into the hands of consumers in less than 60 days. Shoemaker's Academy points out that a new shoe development sample can take 4-6 weeks to process. Compared to other companies who go through many rounds of samples, this would suggest that the FCTRY LAb team was satisfied with their first design and decided to push it through to in-house production. While this is the fastest path to market for Omar Bailey and his team, in-house production is likely very costly and difficult to meet the demand for the Knight RNNR V1s. As the business grows FCTRY LAb will likely look for opportunities to tweak the design based on customer reviews, streamlining production, and releasing larger batches.
What do you think about the FCTRY LAb Knight RNNR V1? Let us know in the comments!
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