A few weeks ago, I was contacted by an Under Armour representative inquiring if I’d like to try out an exciting new running shoe. Before I committed, I wanted to know what made these shoes so “exciting.” With a quick email exchange, I got my answer. Inspired by spacesuits, SpeedForm is the first athletic shoe built in a bra factory. That’s right, bra factory.

Photo: Under Armour

Under Armour’s SpeedForms are a light, seamless running sneaker made for speed, comfort, and anatomic fit with specially designed toe molds and a thin, breathable fabric. They’ve been called a “bra for your feet” but that’s technically inaccurate. These sneakers don’t sport a strip of underwire for additional support, and there’s certainly no sexy lace — but they were made in an apparel factory in China that’s also a big supplier for Victoria’s Secret (hence the bra connection).But beyond the factory, it seemed all these shoes and a bra had in common was an incredibly snug fit. So why all the hype?

NASA, Bras, and Under Armour — What It Is

The inspiration for the SpeedForm originated many moons ago — more than 50 years to be exact — when International Latex Corporation (now called Playtex) won a contract to develop the Apollo Spacesuit. At the time, the company was known for body-shaping girdles and form-fitting brassieres. While other spacesuit prototypes fit the 1960s cyborg aesthetic, they were uncomfortable, heavy, and cumbersome. So they developed a more comfortable suit straight out of their bra-making factory, and in 1969, Neil Armstrong made his small step/giant leap wearing a Playtex suit.

Not nearly as many moons ago — two years, to be exact — UA’s creative director Kevin Fallon read the book “Spacesuit Fashioning Apollo.” If a bra factory can whip up a spacesuit, he thought, could the same thinking make an impact in footwear? After a lengthy R&D process, Under Armour created the SpeedForm, the first running shoe produced in an intimate apparel factory.

Sockless and Seamless — Why It Matters

Though early prototypes were less than impressive — one resembled a water shoe, and another looked more like a bedroom slipper than an athletic shoe — Speedform’s final product is bright, compact, and outrageously comfortable (but more on that in a second).

The SpeedForm is all about the seamless heal cup and molded toes. While running shoes typically have flat pieces of material stitched or bonded together, this shoe is virtually seamless, with materials overlaid and ultrasonically bonded (a way of joining materials by way of pressure rather than say, nuts, bolts, needles or thread). “It feels flatter,” Fallon says. “You don’t feel raw edges inside the shoe and it’s not stitched in a way that you have to put a sock liner in there to hide ugly things where it’s glued in.”

Are They Legit?

Yes, but only for running. The Speedforms are nothing like conventional sneakers, and not everyone will like them. One super important detail about the SpeedForm: They’re not built to ever set foot on a basketball court (or for any lateral training at all, for that matter). The current version of the SpeedForm was created for a neutral runner (meaning the foot doesn’t under or over pronate), and not for super long distances.

The 6-ounce shoe is essentially a hybrid between a racing flat and a neutral training shoe, but UA has plans to grow the product line with a stability shoe and options for customization in the future. More colors are in the pipeline for a new model available next Spring, but it’s unclear if demand for the shoe will taper out in the coming months (some sizes and colors have already sold out). SpeedForms are available in select running specialty stores for $119.99.

Have you tried out SpeedForms? What did you think? Let us know in the comment section below or tweet the author @nicmcdermott.