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. Nike’s latest shoe called the ‘GO Flyease’ is a game-changer for sneakerheads as it is the first-ever completely hands-free and lace-less shoe.
The prime feature of this shoe is that it includes a tension band that secures the shoe in the place of laces. So, they can easily be put on and taken off without using your hands. Using a bistable hinge in the shoe’s midsole, the Nike GO FlyEase can transition from the open—or “ready”—position to the closed—or “set”—position simply by stepping in and down on the footbed. To open the shoe back up, step on the heel’s ledge with the opposite foot, and the hinge releases to allow the foot to slide out.
“We kept wanting to create something new and different,” says Sarah Reinertsen, the project’s design lead, the first woman to finish the Ironman World Championships on a prosthetic leg and a world-record holder for the ironman triathlon. “If we could create something you didn’t need hands to get in and out of, it could help unlock those benefits for all.”
However, Nike has been accused of using disability to hype new Hands-Free Sneaker. There’s skepticism among people regarding Nike’s hype around the shoe, combined with its marketing to people without disabilities, will make it impossible for them to get hold of a pair when it comes out.
