What to Know
- The Nike GO FlyEase is a hands-free shoe featuring a bi-stable hinge that allows the shoe to be both fully opened and fully closed.
- Accessible solutions like the hinge and the midsole tensioner in the Nike GO FlyEase are emblematic of the “better is temporary” mentality that drives Nike FlyEase technology.
- Since the debut of Nike FlyEase technology, it has been used in many footwear styles across basketball, running and sportswear.
The marvel seen above is the Nike GO FlyEase.
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.
Behind the shoe’s smooth motion is a bi-stable hinge that enables the shoe to be secure in fully open and fully closed states.
This duality allows another signature detail: the Nike GO FlyEase tensioner. The tensioner’s unique flexibility super-charges an action many might take for granted (kicking-off a shoe) and completely reimagines this movement as basis for accessible and empowering design.
Sophisticated, accessible solutions, like those in Nike GO FlyEase, are emblematic of the “better is temporary” mentality that drives Nike FlyEase technology. Since its debut, the technologies have been employed in numerous footwear styles across basketball, running and sportswear. Each successive design balances the rigor of FlyEase criteria with unwavering performance standards.
Analysis
Hearing that this shoe was soon coming on the market, was something very inspiring because I had the opportunity to learn about a conceptual shoe design for NIKE from a design firm back in 2017. After so many years it finally came to fruition and although not directly mentioned in this article, the initial shoe design was originally aimed for those that had limited mobility and were not able to bend down to tie their shoes. It’s very different from the concept I had seen in 2017 but exciting nonetheless how they moved forward from the last iteration. Not only is it fashionable and subtle, it can be used by those that may have limited mobility by themselves and give a sense of independence back to the user, as well as be a quick on-and-off shoes for others too.
