Nike dips into its technology bag with the debut of Go FlyEase, a high tech, full coverage sneaker that can be slipped on and off with ease.
Described by Nike as a hands-free shoe, the shoe features “a patent-pending bi-stable hinge and midsole tensioner that allow for hands-free entry.”
According to press on the Go Fly Ease, “This duality allows another signature detail: the Nike GO FlyEase tensioner. The tensioner’s unique flexibility super-charges an action many might take for granted (kicking-off a shoe) and completely reimagines this movement as basis for accessible and empowering design.”
Conceptualized by Nike principal innovation engineer Tim Hopkins and Nike Explore Team and NXT Lab designer Haley Toelle, the idea for the shoe was initially submitted in response to an internal design challenge and has been in development for three years.
Commenting on realization of the shoe, Tobie Hatfield, senior director of athlete innovation at Nike, told Wired, “Ultimately, the whole shoe was a challenge. You fix one thing and another might start not working. We’re used to this, but cause and effect was magnified a little bit more here because you’re literally breaking the shoe in half. We’ve just never done that before.”
The debut launch will feature three colors: white, Celestine blue and volt; black, dynamic turquoise and hyper crimson; and black, anthracite and racer blue.
In a new twist on Nike distribution, the Nike Go FlyEase will be available through invite only for Nike Members on February 15 2021. The three silhouettes will see a wider launch later in 2021.
Check out a video featuring an interview with the Nike Go FlyEase designers along with images of all three colors below.
