WearTesters WearTesters WearTesters
  • Best Basketball Shoes
  • Reviews
    • All Performance Reviews
    • Basketball Shoe Reviews
    • Running Shoe Reviews
    • Cross Training Shoe Reviews
    • Retro Shoe Reviews
    • Casual Shoe Reviews
    • Apparel Reviews
    • Sporting Goods Reviews
    • Tech Reviews
    • Best Functional Fitness Equipment 2021
    • Best Basketball Gifts 2020
    • Best Fitness Gifts 2020
    • Best Gifts for Runners 2020
    • Best Gifts for Athletes 2020
    • Scoring
  • Bball Shoe Reviews
  • Brands
    • Nike
      • Nike Basketball Shoes
      • Kobe Bryant Shoes
      • LeBron James Shoes
      • Kevin Durant Shoes
      • Kyrie Irving Shoes
      • Giannis Antetokounmpo Shoes
      • Paul George Shoes
      • Nike Running Shoes
      • Nike Training Shoes
    • Jordan
    • adidas
      • Adidas Basketball Shoes
      • James Harden Shoes
      • Damian Lillard Shoes
      • Derrick Rose Shoes
      • Donovan Mitchell Shoes
    • Yeezy
    • Under Armour
      • Under Armour Basketball Shoes
      • Steph Curry Shoes
      • Joel Embiid Shoes
      • Under Armour Training Shoes
    • Puma
      • Puma Basketball
    • Reebok
    • Converse
    • New Balance
      • Kawhi Leonard Shoes
    • Saucony
    • Brooks
  • Deals
  • Join
  • Shop
WearTesters WearTesters WearTesters

WearTesters is reader-supported. When you make purchases using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

yurri mial UA designer
Kicks Off CourtKicks On CourtUnder Armour

Meet Yurri Mial, the Designer of Under Armour’s Slingflex, SpeedForm Fortis, Fat Tire Mid, and More

March 13, 2017March 13, 2017

One of the most surprising shoes of 2017 has been the Under Armour Threadborne Slingflex. With the debut of Threadborne on the Curry 3, we were introduced to a supportive, stiffer-than-normal woven material that wouldn’t seem to make a comfortable, flexible runner. Well, it did, and the Slingflex is a shoe worth checking out for the versatility in performance and design (performance review here).

But who was behind the design of that runner? It was a question the good people at Under Armour solved for us and gave us access to. I present the brilliant Yurri Mial.

under armour ua threadborne slingflex white glacier grey 1
[Bryan Hinkle for WearTesters.com]: For the record, what is your name and where are you located?

Yurri Mial, Senior Designer, Footwear – Run at Under Armour.

Being young, and fairly new, how many shoes have you worked on already, either lead designer or on the team? Is it only running, or lifestyle, basketball, training? Which ones were they?

I’ve been in the industry for about eight years now and in that time I’ve designed nearly 50 styles of footwear. Since coming to Under Armour in 2013, I’ve designed around 20 styles that you’ve seen at market. I’ve primarily worked on running and lifestyle footwear silhouettes, including UAS (Under Armour Sportswear). There honestly have been too many to pick just one favorite, but a few in particular that stand out are the Fortis, Hightlight Delta, UAS Club Mid, and Fat Tire Mid.

under armour fat tire mid black 1
What is your favorite design you have done, besides the Slingflex?

That’s a tough question because every season that answer changes for me. Since we design into the future, I have some styles releasing soon that I’m really excited about. If I had to choose, I’d say the SpeedForm Fortis holds a special place in my heart because of the lessons for me that came along with the design process.

Where would you put the Slingflex in the UA lineup: running, lifestyle, crossover to both? Personally, I wear them for everything — relax and chill, running short distances, and weight training. 

I would put it in both, but it was born from performance like all of our products. You see the striking color block on the lateral of the Slingflex upper? That is actually a knit engineering process that provides the wearer with more stability for quick lateral movements or sprints. Threadborne is not just another knit for the sake of a trend, each style has true functionality.

The Threadborne on the Slingflex and the Threadborne on the Curry 3 feels completely different — the Curry is stiff and solid while the Slingflex is soft and sock-like. Is this an evolution of the materials or a design/category specific material change? Can the material be adjusted for each sport/activity or is the softer feel the ultimate aim?

Threadborne is an umbrella of techniques and processes that allow you to tune and design at the thread level. Where appropriate, the yarns and structures may be more dense for stability in one style, or softer and stretchy for zonal compression in another style. It all depends on the wearer and what they want out of their footwear.

under armour ua threadborne slingflex white glacier grey 3

With the use of Dyneema, is that more of a structural material or durability? To me, during the review, it seemed structural, with the direction of the threads and the flexpoints around the toe. 

Exactly! It’s a very strong material that provides structure and also has natural cooling properties. Its application makes the most sense in the forefoot because, naturally, a tremendous amount of force is applied in that area while the wearer is running. Additionally, it’s a smart place to keep the foot cool.

The outsole being segmented and cut out provided a great feel underfoot, especially coupled with the soft upper. For sprint work and short distances this felt great, but are there plans to add any structural elements, like a stiffer midfoot shank or medial post?

We feel great about where the style of the Slingflex landed. We have some additional styles coming up that address the needs of someone looking for more stability in their run. We’re excited for you to check those out too.

under armour ua threadborne slingflex white glacier grey 4
The cushioning of the Slingflex is Charged, and we see the layers in the midsole, and honestly, it feels fantastic. Are there any plans to adapt this Charged to the basketball line? Maybe not the Curry line, because I know he is very specific in what he wants on-court, but the Drive line? Or maybe a shoe you can’t talk about yet?

What you’re experiencing is the Charged Cushioning & Micro G dual layering in the Slingflex. The combination of both works well for running. I can’t really speak to the basketball line, but I know they are constantly innovating on underfoot platforms that deliver the right amount of cushioning and support needed for the court.

Lastly, and this may be too far, but I talked to Dave Dombrow last year about some upcoming developments, and he mentioned a crossing over — taking elements from U.S. football and using in running, or basketball and using in training. How has that happened in the year since that interview, or have you seen it at all?

I’ll say this, 2018 is going to be crazy!

yurri mial UA designer


If you enjoyed our talk with Yurri Mial, let us know in the comments below. Have you worn some of his designs?

Duke4005

Bryan Hinkle, aka Duke4005, has been playing ball any and every where around Dallas/Fort Worth for over half his life. His favorite shoe ever is the Nike Air Maestro and his favorite player is Grant Hill.

Featured Posts

shaq shoes an aultimate guide featured image

Shaq Shoes: An Ultimate Guide

Evan
March 25, 2021March 24, 2021
Nike-Cosmic-Unity-Performance-Review

Nike Cosmic Unity Performance Review

Nightwing2303
March 11, 2021March 23, 2021
Allen Iverson Shoes Featured Image 2

Allen Iverson Shoes: An Ultimate Guide

Nick Engvall
February 24, 2021March 1, 2021
Nike ZoomX Invincible Run Featured Image

Nike ZoomX Invincible Run Performance Review

Drew
February 12, 2021February 16, 2021
penny-hardaway-shoes

Penny Hardaway Shoes: A Full Timeline

Evan
February 9, 2021March 1, 2021
and1 basketball logo

AND1: The Best Shoes of a Legendary Brand

Evan
January 29, 2021February 4, 2021
Puma-Clyde-All-Pro-Performance-Review

PUMA Clyde All-Pro Performance Review

Nightwing2303
January 19, 2021January 27, 2021
New-Balance-Kawhi-PR-Feature

New Balance Kawhi Performance Review

lookatleak
January 14, 2021January 26, 2021
Nike-LeBron-18-Performance-Review

Nike LeBron 18 Performance Review

Nightwing2303
December 17, 2020January 5, 2021
Curry 8 Flow

Curry 8 | Everything You Need to Know

Drew
December 9, 2020January 5, 2021

You can now directly support WearTesters, be part of a fun, growing community, and get amazing benefits in return. Learn more.

About WearTesters

Contact

WearTesters is reader-supported. If you buy products using links on our site we may earn a commission.

COPYRIGHT © 2009-2020 WEARTESTERS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Best Basketball Shoes
  • Reviews
    • All Performance Reviews
    • Basketball Shoe Reviews
    • Running Shoe Reviews
    • Cross Training Shoe Reviews
    • Retro Shoe Reviews
    • Casual Shoe Reviews
    • Apparel Reviews
    • Sporting Goods Reviews
    • Tech Reviews
    • Best Functional Fitness Equipment 2021
    • Best Basketball Gifts 2020
    • Best Fitness Gifts 2020
    • Best Gifts for Runners 2020
    • Best Gifts for Athletes 2020
    • Scoring
  • Bball Shoe Reviews
  • Brands
    • Nike
      • Nike Basketball Shoes
      • Kobe Bryant Shoes
      • LeBron James Shoes
      • Kevin Durant Shoes
      • Kyrie Irving Shoes
      • Giannis Antetokounmpo Shoes
      • Paul George Shoes
      • Nike Running Shoes
      • Nike Training Shoes
    • Jordan
    • adidas
      • Adidas Basketball Shoes
      • James Harden Shoes
      • Damian Lillard Shoes
      • Derrick Rose Shoes
      • Donovan Mitchell Shoes
    • Yeezy
    • Under Armour
      • Under Armour Basketball Shoes
      • Steph Curry Shoes
      • Joel Embiid Shoes
      • Under Armour Training Shoes
    • Puma
      • Puma Basketball
    • Reebok
    • Converse
    • New Balance
      • Kawhi Leonard Shoes
    • Saucony
    • Brooks
  • Deals
  • Join
  • Shop