Fashion and Beauty

NIKE REVOLUTIONIZES FOOTWEAR WITH THE WORLD’S FIRST HANDS-FREE SHOES, ‘GO FLYEASE’

Nike’s hands-free shoe design is a game changer for people who are always in a hurry and for athletes with disabilities.

JOVE MOYA / 15 February 2021

Perhaps one of the simplest things to do in the world is put a shoe on and remove it after hours of use. But this is not the case for 16-year-old Matthew Walzer who suffers from Cerebral Palsy.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines Cerebral Palsy as a “group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. CP is the most common motor disability in childhood. Cerebral means having to do with the brain. Palsy means weakness or problems with using the muscles.”

All over the world, there are at least 764,000 people who have Cerebral Palsy. Of these numbers, about 500,00 are children under the age of 18.

In 2012, Walzer wrote a letter to Nike asking them to make shoes that he and others like him could wear. To his surprise, the shoe company immediately asked to have him on board and test the early models of ‘FlyEase,’ an easy on and off shoes.

“Out of all the challenges I have overcome in my life, there’s one that I’m still trying to master – tying my shoes. Cerebral palsy stiffens the muscles in the body. As a result, I have flexibility in only one of my hands, which makes it impossible for me to tie my shoes. My dream is to go to the college of my choice without having to worry about someone coming to tie my shoes every day,” Walzer said in an interview. 

Walzer explained that although there are shoes made for people with disabilities like him, he always wished that a ‘shoe that looks just good as it functions’ exists.

“So with Cerebral Palsy and, you know, various physical disabilities, you need a supportive shoe to assist with walking. And, you know, there are slip-ons and sandals, but those don’t offer the support that someone like myself with cerebral palsy needs. And at the same time, you want something that looks just as good as it functions. And so that’s why I, without question, wanted a basketball and a running shoe with a closure system that can be used by everybody,” he explained. 

According to the brand’s website, FlyEase uses a bi-stable hinge and a tensioner — which works like a big rubber band — to allow the shoe to smoothly open and close, remaining secure in both positions.

FlyEase is available in 3 models for now: Nike Air Zoom Tempo Next%, AirMax 90, and VaporMax. The newly-launched rubber shoes retail between $108 to $200, and are yet to be available in the Philippines. 

The Nike GO FlyEase will initially be available to certain Nike Members by ‘invitation’ before becoming more broadly available later this year.