Lotto Solista – Worlds First Reflective Boots

It is no secret that Lotto like to bend the rules and produce boots that are a little more abstract and far reaching. You just need to take a look at the laceless Gravity Ultra range as a prime example.

This time around, the Italian company has geared a boot with more visual pop, called the Lotto Solista. But, where many companies branch out into wild and eccentric colors, Lotto takes a completely different approach. What they have done is taken actual light and used it as an ingredient in the boots make-up. The everyday look of the boot is pretty regular, almost an off-set White to a Grey. But when you place them in front of light, everything changes and the boot illuminates. In other words, the upper soaks in the flash or the additional light from a floodlight and turns the boot into an entirely, never before seen, colorway.

The boot’s tagline is pretty complimentary, “Light up your game”.

What this mean for players that want to wear them? Well, if you play in stadiums under night lights, your boots are going to be much more visable and they will definitely stand out from anything else on the pitch. The same is true if you regularly have photographers at your games snapping pics. For players who play during the day, they will be some additional pop from the sun, but the effect will in no way be the same as there is no darkness surrounding the boot.

Of course, there is a lot more to these boots including a lightweight microfiber lined tongue with some reinforced padding to help cushion the ball on impact, as well as a new outsole. Lotto call it the TX Soleplate and it features 12 two-tone TPU studs, with a double geometry pattern. Lotto place a lot of emphasis on the soleplate and how they have manipulated the design. Lamellar studs are used in the heel region to improve traction while triangular studs are used in the forefoot. It is all intended to provide improved traction from standing to take-off and that initial step of acceleration.

I gotta admit, the concept behind this bot intrigues me and I am definitely going to get a pair to test under night lights. The effect is pretty intriguing and will definitely set them apart on the field. If it truly is effective, Lotto has taken a piece of the market that I’m sure a lot of other large companies will be kicking themselves over. You have to wonder if any other company has looked into this type of technology before, but now that it has Lotto’s name on it, I doubt we will see other companies looking to add it into their boots.

My only one concern with the entire release is the fact that they have placed so much emphasis on the outside design. Performance relies on what is under the hood and I’m hoping the visuals are not designed so effectively as to take away from what the boot does on the pitch. Only time will tell on that one!

What are your thoughts on this release and does the technology Lotto has gone with make you want a pair?