Thaely Reflex Series
Product Design
2023

The Problem

Thaely had just received $500,000 in funding, giving us the opportunity to invest in developing a completely new sole platform. At the time, competition in the Indian sneaker market was growing rapidly, with multiple new brands entering the space. However, most were relying on generic open moulds and familiar sole constructions.

I wanted to create something fundamentally different, a revolutionary sole that looked like nothing else on the marketand could establish Thaely as a design first brand. We also could not rely on conventional recycled rubber, as it becomes extremely heavy when used to create a chunky, sculptural sole.

At the same time, the GAT/Samba aesthetic was dominating the market. Rather than simply following the trend, we wanted to push that design language to the extreme, creating something that felt futuristic, unconventional, and distinctly Thaely.

The challenge was also to make the sole more than just a one product solution. It needed to function as a modular sole platform that could be adapted across multiple product categories, including sneakers, slides, and boots.

My Solution

I had come across an interesting foot reflexology chart outside a massage parlour in Dubai. The graphics were intricate and esoteric, and I became fascinated by the idea of translating that visual language into the sole itself.

For the construction, we used Bloom EVA, a more sustainable alternative to conventional EVA made using algae. This allowed us to create a chunky sole without the excessive weight associated with traditional recycled rubber.

The shape of the sole was inspired by the broad, organic form of the human foot, but reinterpreted as something that could belong to a Mecha robot. I wanted it to feel futuristic, chunky and alternative, almost as if it were a piece of machinery from a cyberpunk universe.

The result was an extremely comfortable cup sole that extended beyond the last and featured a distinctive asymmetric form. The tread pattern incorporated the same reflexology graphics, creating a visual connection between the inspiration and the final product.

The same sole and last were then developed into three different products: the Reflex Runner, Reflex Boot and Reflex Slide, creating a modular platform that could extend across multiple categories.

Thaely Reflex Runner
2023
Product Design

The Reflex Runner is an exploration of how reflexology could be translated into footwear through form, material and function. I designed a sculptural, asymmetric sole inspired by reflexology charts, pushing the familiar GAT and Samba language into something more futuristic and unconventional. 

The shoe uses ThaelyTex®, rPET Canvas and rPET Felt, combining recycled materials with a distinctive architectural silhouette. 

The sole deliberately extends beyond the upper, creating a natural platform for stacked jeans to rest on, complementing the oversized baggy aesthetic while avoiding the heel bites. This exaggerated sole creates unusual proportions and gives the shoe a strong, instantly recognizable silhouette.

Thaely Reflex Slide
2023
Product Design

The Reflex Slides came from the idea of applying the same reflexology inspired sole architecture to open footwear. I wanted the slide to feel more like a sculptural object than a conventional slip on, combining the same exaggerated Bloom EVA sole with a soft, tactile rPET Felt upper made from recycled plastic bottles. 

The cushioning is made from castor bean oil waste, while the adjustable strap uses upcycled helmet straps, bringing an unexpected industrial element into the design. 

The result is a playful reinterpretation of the slide that brings together comfort, unusual proportions and material experimentation.

Thaely Reflex Boots
2024
Product Design

The Reflex Boots are an exercise in pushing the sneaker beyond its familiar boundaries. I wanted to create something that felt like it belonged to a futuristic rider, the kind of footwear you might imagine someone wearing while tearing through the streets of Neo Tokyo in Akira.

The design sits somewhere between a horse riding boot and a motorcycle boot, taking the elongated proportions and protective language of riding footwear and reinterpreting them through the construction and attitude of a sneaker. The result is deliberately exaggerated, with a tall shaft, sculpted panels, reinforced details and a heavy sneaker sole that give the boot a sense of movement and protection.

A key detail is the graphic language of the boot. Classic cowboy boots often feature decorative embroidery and Western motifs across the shaft. For the Reflex Boots, I wanted to reinterpret that tradition through a contemporary, futuristic lens. Instead of traditional cowboy graphics, the boot features patterns inspired by circuitry, mechanical components and industrial machinery, almost as if the decorative language of a cowboy boot had been translated into the visual language of a machine.

The construction also uses the same last as the original Reflex Runner. Rather than creating an entirely new foundation for the boot, I wanted to explore how far a single underlying form could be pushed and reinterpreted. Using the same last allowed us to retain the familiar proportions and character of the Reflex Runner while transforming its silhouette into something much taller, more protective and more expressive. It became an exercise in seeing how one design language could evolve into an entirely different object.

The front zip is another important part of the experience. I wanted the boots to be incredibly easy to get into, but also for putting them on to feel like an experience in itself. There is something strangely empowering about putting both boots on and simply zipping them up. It feels almost like a suiting up sequence from an anime or science fiction film, where the character puts on their gear before heading into battle. The zip transforms what could have been a practical detail into part of the ritual of wearing the boot.

Visually, I was drawn to the way Akira, Blade Runner, Dune and Barbarella imagined the future, not as something perfectly clean and minimal, but as a world filled with objects that have history, function and attitude. I wanted the Reflex Boots to feel like they could exist in that world.

There is also something intentionally nostalgic about the design. Horse riding boots and classic motorcycle boots are objects with very strong visual identities. By combining those references with the proportions of contemporary sneakers and futuristic mechanical graphics, the Reflex Boots become something that feels both familiar and completely out of place.

That tension is what makes them interesting to me.

They aren't designed to disappear into an outfit. They are a statement piece, the kind of object that defines the look around it. Something you could imagine a futuristic bike rider wearing decades from now, or discovering decades later as an artifact from our own era.

The material story is equally important. The upper combines rPET Leather and ThaelyTex, while the lining is made from rPET Suede. The materials allow us to rethink the construction of a traditionally leather heavy boot using recycled and waste derived alternatives.

The intention was never to make sustainability the aesthetic. The intention was to use better materials to make something that simply looks desirable.

Only 100 pairs were produced.

I think of the Reflex Boots as a future relic, a piece of footwear that sits somewhere between a riding boot, a sneaker and a piece of science fiction, capturing a version of the future that we can only imagine today.