Introducing HNDRD Phenom
After countless rounds of testing with our World Tour pros and even many familiar faces in the community, we’re finally ready to pull back the curtain on the Phenom.
Here is the engineering philosophy behind our first true "Pro" flagship:
1. The Goodyear Collaboration (Grip vs. Durability)
In footwear design, rubber is usually a zero-sum game: if you want more grip, you use softer rubber that wears out in weeks. If you want durability, the rubber gets hard and slippery.
We partnered with the team at Goodyear to tune their rubber specifically for the court. The goal was an outsole that feels "sticky" on both wooden floors and mat courts without shredding. Interestingly, we had an unintentional side-effect: the durability is so high that the Phenom has become the shoe of choice for our sponsored Pickleball athletes playing on rough hard-courts. If it can survive a gritty outdoor pickleball court, it'll handle any badminton session you throw at it.
In footwear design, rubber is usually a zero-sum game: if you want more grip, you use softer rubber that wears out in weeks. If you want durability, the rubber gets hard and slippery.
We partnered with the team at Goodyear to tune their rubber specifically for the court. The goal was an outsole that feels "sticky" on both wooden floors and mat courts without shredding. Interestingly, we had an unintentional side-effect: the durability is so high that the Phenom has become the shoe of choice for our sponsored Pickleball athletes playing on rough hard-courts. If it can survive a gritty outdoor pickleball court, it’ll handle any badminton session you throw at it.
2. Carbon Support Plate
You’ve likely seen the industry trend moving toward full-length carbon plates. We’ve stayed observant, but for the Phenom, we’ve made a conscious choice: Badminton isn't distance running. The need for longitudinal "energy return" in a linear stride isn't as vital as lateral stability in a lunge. We believe carbon plates should focus on anti-torsion support. We’ve equipped the Phenom with a specialized midfoot carbon plate and our new Z-Lock stabilizer. This prevents the shoe from twisting unintentionally while maintaining the natural flex a badminton player needs to explode off the forefoot.
3. ThrustFoam: Great Cushion, Great Energy return.
While we didn't want the carbon plate from the running world, we did want their foam. We used SuperCritical Foam (which we call ThrustFoam) in the heel. Unlike traditional EVA, this provides high-level impact protection for your knees on deep lunges while offering a significant "bounce-back" to help you recover.
4. Support without the "Suffocation"
High-performance shoes usually use thick PU (vegan leather) for support, but they get hot—fast. We developed a hybrid upper for the Phenom:
ArmourMesh: An extremely durable mesh that allows airflow during long sessions but is rigid enough to provide lateral support.
DuraCore TPU: We applied this to the toe-drag area. It’s an extremely durable shield that won't wear through very quickly, but we specifically tuned it to stay flexible so it doesn't "dig in" when you lunge.
