Back To The Future fans rejoice. These self-lacing ‘Nike Mags’ based on the fictional pair from the second film worn by Michael J. Fox, have been recreated by the company, equipped with lights and the ability to auto-tighten using power laces.
By placing your foot in the shoe, pressure on the sole initiates the self-lacing mechanism, strapping you in without needing to touch the shoes yourself. If you do want to adjust it, you can turn on the lights, adapt the tightness and check the battery using buttons on the upper. Battery time is three hours with the lights on, or 'days' without the lights, and it takes three hours to recharge.
The shoes, while created by Nike, will be sold in collaboration with the Michael J. Fox Foundation, a Parkinson's charity set up by the actor after he was diagnosed with the disease in 1992.
Nike will be releasing 89 pairs, one of which was recently available through a raffle. It cost £10 to enter and Fox recently tweeted the shoes had raised a staggering $6.75 million for this foundation. All the proceeds will go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Alternatively, you can enter an auction. The next one being in New York on November 12. At the auction in Hong Kong, the shoes sold for $100,000.
Mark Parker, CEO of Nike, spoke of the inspiration behind the shoes, and the collaboration between the company and the foundation. “Though it initially shared only a few seconds of screen time with Michael, the idea behind the Nike Mag unlocked something much bigger at Nike,” he explained.
“It sent us down an uncharted path of innovation, but it also opened our eyes to our ability to fight some of the world’s biggest challenges. We feel privileged for the opportunity to raise even more awareness for the fight against Parkinson’s.”
Nike has also produced a modern-day version of the shoes - the HyperAdapts - also containing "electro-adaptive reactive laces" or EARL. They are the first trainers to self-lace from Nike and were designed by Nike designer Tiffany Beers. The shoes have a slightly longer battery life of two weeks, but a price and release date are yet to be announced.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
