OUR COMPANY

Forged in the fells and mountains of the British Lake District, Inov8 is a footwear, clothing and equipment brand for committed trail and off-road runners, fitness athletes and adventure-seeking hikers who push boundaries and stretch limits.

Since it was founded in 2003 by Wayne Edy, INOV8 has been renowned as a world leader in grip. The brand lives by the philosophy that an athletes’ interaction with the environment is the single most important factor when designing products. Inov8 kit is light, fast and always innovative, as proven by our pioneering use of wonder-material graphene in sports footwear.

Thanks to their agility as a brand they were able to beat other big sports companies to the use of their patent-pending graphene technology. They are the world’s first - and only - brand to use the wonder-material in sports shoes.

INOV8 started working on the project in December 2016 with The University of Manchester, which homes The National Graphene Institute. The two scientists who first isolated graphene from graphite at the university in 2010 have since been awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.

INOV8 never follow others, they carve their own way.

EXPLAINING THE NEW 2024 INOV8 SHOE SHAPE AND FITS

Throughout 2024 Inov8 will be launching a radical new footwear collection across all three of their categories – Run, Walk & Gym – that headlines their first-ever rebrand.

The collection features the biggest and most exciting design enhancements in their history, stretching back to 2003. The first shoe unleashed from the new pack was the MUDTALON SPEED in early January, followed by the TRAILFLY SPEED in February. More will follow throughout the year.

All new footwear within the rebranded 2024 collection shares an exciting new foot-shaped fit that promotes a more natural feel and better foot health. Incorporated within the new shape are three new fits – Precision, Standard and Wide. All new shoes will first be available in one or two of these fits.

THE NEW SHAPE

The decision to change the shape of Inov8’s footwear from 2024 onwards was driven by customer and athlete feedback, together with their desire to enhance the fit and promote a more natural feel to their footwear.

The new carefully crafted foot-shaped fit that will feature on all new Inov8 footwear hugs the natural contours of the whole foot. It locks in at the heel for a confidence-boosting, secure hold and widens at the toes to allow the feet and toes to function naturally and splay. This will bring greater performance benefits and comfort levels for runners, walkers and gym enthusiasts. It will also help deliver better foot health, with toes having more space.

MUDTALON SPEED in Precision Fit (left) and Wide Fit (right)

Inov8’s founder Wayne Edy said: “In 2024 and going forward, we will neither over engineer nor under engineer our products, in the strong belief that nature knows best. Our footwear will let your foot control the shoe, not the shoe control the foot.”

“These new products and innovations will enable ‘the flow’ – that state of mind and feeling you get from sport and exercise when all distractions fall away, leaving nothing but the pure enjoyment of accomplishment.”

Senior Footwear Designer Luke McConnie added: “The most prominent change for the new 2024 collection is the improved shape of the ‘last’ (the foot-formed mold used in crafting the shoe). After experiencing the fit and comfort of our new designs, you’ll quickly see why it’s real a game-changer.”

THE NEW FITS

The three new fits – all incorporating the new natural contouring foot-shape – are called Precision, Standard and Wide.

Precision Fit is the narrowest of the three in the heel and toe-box, with Wide Fit being the widest in both areas. Standard Fit sits in the middle, between Precision Fit and Wide Fit.

The fits roughly equate to the following commonly used width grades:
*Precision Fit – C (in the UK & EU) and D (in the US)
*Standard Fit – D (in the UK & EU) and E (in the US)
*Wide Fit – E (in the UK & EU) and EE (in the US)

It’s also beneficial to measure both your feet in length and width before deciding which fit is best for you. Details on how to take these measurements can be found in the Size Guide on each product’s webpage. The guide also contains width charts upon which you can check your measurements against each of the three fits.

Not every new shoe will come in all three fits. Most of them will be available in one or, more often, two fits. This is dependent upon the type of activity and what the end-user best requires to achieve maximum performance.

For hard-trail running, walking and hiking, Inov8 will have Standard Fit and Wide Fit options.
For fell running, soft-trail running and muddy running, Inov8 will have Precision Fit and Wide Fit options.
For gym workouts and functional training, Inov8 will have Standard and Wide Fit options.

Footwear in the range launched in 2023 or before will continue to be graded on the previous 1-5 width scale. Full details on this are in product’s Size Guides.

As a comparison, if you enjoy a shoe graded 1-2 on the older fit scale, then we recommend you choose a Precision Fit. If you like a shoe graded 3-4, we recommend considering a Standard or Wide Fit. For a shoe graded 5, look at our Wide Fit shoes.