Nike has just released the laceless Nike GO FlyEase trainers, which can be put on and taken off without using your hands.
The FlyEase range was launched five years ago and includes the fan fave Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 35 FlyEase; landed in 2019. Previous editions have all still required a hand to open the shoe, which means this is the first Nike shoe that is entirely hands-free!
Seems very timely, post-COVID don’t you think?
The Nike GO FlyEase is made of two sections connected by a hinge that allows you to put them on and take them off without tying shoelaces, loops or any other type of fastening.
Nike has swiftly eliminated the need for laces, by building the shoe around a patent-pending bi-stable hinge within the sole.
This advanced hinge is combined with a large rubber band, which assures the shoe is secure both in an open position for when you slip your foot in and a closed position for when it’s on.
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Although these trainers are as mechanically complex as they sound, they’re designed to be very simplistic for every user and intuitive to put on and take off.
“We designed this based on human behaviour,” Nike design lead and American Paralympic triathlete Sarah Reinersten, told Dezeen. “So we feel like this is intuitive in the way that your foot goes into a shoe – you can step in and go.”
Nike has designed the shoe to be used as an everyday item, but also believes that it can be used by people who find it difficult to put their shoes on. The shoes are receiving praise online for their universal accessibility, in particular, for how easy the experience could be for disabled, pregnant or arthritic wearers.
“This is one of the most universal shoes ever,” said Reinersten. “This is a solution for so many people. This is for everybody.
“From women who are going through pregnancies to maybe an athlete who doesn’t have hands, to a busy mom, to, I don’t know, even a lazy husband who wants to walk the dog.”
Nike has also created a pair of lace less basketball shoes, that tighten at the touch of the button or the swipe of a smartphone… just casually.