In 2012, 16-year-old Matthew Walzer, wrote an open letter to Nike CEO Mark Parker. Matthew, who suffers from cerebral palsy and has difficulty putting on his own shoes, was looking ahead to college, and didn’t want to have to bring his parents along to tie his shoes. His letter essentially issued a challenge to Nike: create a shoe that was easier to enter, for Matthew and the millions of other athletes with disabilities.
Designer Tobie Hatfield spearheaded the project, which comes to its fruition this year with the new Flyease system. Inspired by the idea, LeBron James, Matthew’s favorite player, is lending his shoe to the mission. The Nike Zoom Soldier 8 Flyease will be the first mass-produced model to debut the technology when it launches on July 16, featuring a zipper-and-strap system that allows the foot to enter through the rear of the shoe.
Before that launch though, check out Nike’s video documenting the process, featuring everyone from Hatfield to Walzer to LeBron.
The post Watch: Nike Flyease Tech Created for Easy-Entry Footwear appeared first on NikeBlog.com.