The non-inflatable soccer ball made by nendo

The Japanese design studio nendo designed "My Football Kit", a modular soccer ball made from 54 interlocking pieces. The idea of this ball was developed by the Japanese company Molten, which for years has been one of the leading brands in the production of sports equipment; in addition, Molten wanted to create a circular object that could lower the maintenance costs of ordinary football objects, but above all, they try to offer children who are passionate about the sport a more lasting resource, which can solve the problems of deterioration of the sphere or that of inflation - which in certain social realities is often a problem. 

For the shape and structure of the balloon, nendo was inspired by the woven bamboo ball, constructions typically made by Japanese artisans. The sphere is composed of the assembly of three types of synthetic resin in recycled and elastomeric polypropylene to replicate the touch of a normal football ball, so, it remains soft on contact with the foot, but with greater resilience over the time. The ball is inflated by the internal pressure of the air created by the interlocking pieces, which maintains their structure even if a piece of the ball is damaged. Players can then replace these individual parts themselves, which increases the economic efficiency of the equipment and prolongs its long-term lifespan - in practice, if the ball breaks or spoils, there is no need to buy a new one. The pieces are shipped disassembled and can be added and removed at will. The ball, as Hypebeast specifies, is available in multiple colors and even individual parts can have different shades, and nendo also offers the possibility to customize individual pieces with brands or logos. 

The design studio nendo - read on its website - did not create the ball just for reasons of circular economy. The ethical design behind the 'My football kits' project wants to bring more children to play the sport, involving them not only with the ball, but also through the entire packaging. In fact, the booklet of instructions for the assembly of the sphere is made as if it were a picture book - colorful and without text - and the chance to assembling the balloon independently; moreover, doing it using colored objects would also have a pedagogical reflex.