Part 2 of the Footy Boots Interview with Prior 2 Lever Creative Director Greg Lever
Footy Boots today brings you the second instalment of our interview with Greg Lever, the Creative Director behind the world’s first fully customised football boot, the Prior 2 Lever Assassin – if you missed it, Read Part I here. Today, Greg shares some of the secrets behind what goes into making the Assassins and how lasers are used in shaping football boots for the elite players.
FB: What’s the story behind the Prior 2 Lever and Assassin brand names?
GL: The name Prior 2 Lever is simply Trevor Prior 2 Greg Lever. The idea of passing podiatry and biomechanics 2 design, function 2 form and so on. The Assassin name sounded good, it reflected our entrance into the market and caused a few problems in the media which is fun.
FB: How would you describe the Prior 2 Lever philosophy?
GL: Give the athlete what he/she needs as well as what he/she wants. The two are often very different.
FB: What makes the Assassin so unique?
GL: How long do you have?! In short we make the boot from scratch for each individual for both left and right foot. The boot set up is purely bespoke to fit, biomechanics, stud configuration, heel raise, material selection, design, the environment, training versus match, previous injury etc. We can even evaluate the peripheral blood flow of the athletes and design a layering system of materials to control this (handy if one week you are playing in a cold environment in Russia then training in Portugal).
FB: Please explain the process of producing a fully customised, bespoke football boot.
GL:
1. The athlete visits Trevor Prior for a full biomechanical and podiatry evaluation involving lots of computers, science and years of experience + much poking and prodding!
2. We scan the athlete’s feet in a corrected position based on the results of the evaluation
3. We produce a left and right last which is the form the shoe is built on
4. I take the last electronically into my computer and design the upper, outsole and insock with the athletes needs and wants
5. We manufacture all the components
6. The boot is constructed in our factory by a team of highly skilled hand craftsmen
7. The boots are tested in the lab and at the training ground to ensure all the requirements have been met.
This is a good overview of the process without revealing any of our secrets!
FB: Please explain how selective laser sintering helps in this process.
GL: Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) of Stereolithography Apparatus (SLA) is a process that allows you to manufacture things without a mould; effectively it is 3D printer you can plug into your computer. Because the system builds in layers, it allows us to make very precise individual designs with precision such as moving and placing studs, building intrinsic structures to dissipate peak forces, adding heel raises, changing fit from left to right etc. We can also build different players outsoles at the same time. Injection moulding can take 8 weeks where as SLA takes 1 day and allows us to react to players needs, quickly and effectively. It is star wars stuff!
FB: How long does it take from first visit to produce a bespoke football boot?
GL: It takes 4 weeks as we really check our measures and ensure that the athlete is set up correct.
FB: Does the Assassin offer any other advantages over mass produced boots?
GL: The only limits are the ones that the athlete sets.
Read the final part of our interview with Greg Lever tomorrow from Prior 2 Lever, when he answers the vital questions including how much are the Assassins, where can we see a pair and what football team does Greg support?
Read The Interview Part 1 here.
View the latest Prior 2 Lever Assassin football Boots images.
