Nike has taken a significant step towards accessibility with its latest design.
The sportswear brand has unveiled its latest innovation, the Nike Go FlyEase trainer, which can be put on and taken off without using your hands. It’s intuitive — easy on, easy off — and evidence of how design, innovation and engineering can meet to answer an ambitious North Star: the creation of a hands-free shoe.
The shoe arrives at a time when people are craving comfort in clothing and footwear and are also increasingly conscious about touching as few surfaces as possible over the course of their day.
The stand-out feature of this next-generation GO FlyEase is something Nike is calling the “bi-stable hinge” so you can slip your foot out without ever touching the shoe. It keeps the shoe securely open upon entry and exit and close when it is in use. The GO FlyEase also sports a “kickstand heel” which allows wearers to literally kick off their shoes by using the opposite foot to open the hinge mechanism. To put them on, you merely step into them – the movement will automatically cause them to snap shut. You can take them off by applying pressure to the heel.
The Nike GO FlyEase comes in 3 colorways and will retail for $120. The shoe will first be available via invite for select Nike members beginning February 1. For the broader consumers, availability planned for later this year.