We get it. After a workout or a long day on your feet, most of us just want to take off our shoes and relax. Many people wear their regular shoes with the laces loose enough to make them easy to slip on and off. Nike has a new pair of shoes called the GO FlyEase designed specifically to be easy to put on and take off.
The main design feature of the GO FlyEase is a bi-stable hinge enabling the shoe to be secure in fully opened and fully closed states. In the open state, the shoe has an upward angled portion the wearer slips their foot into, sort of like a clog. When the user puts pressure down the heel, the hinge closes, locking the shoe around the foot like a normal athletic shoe without the need for laces.
Nike also uses a tensioner in the design of the shoe. The tensioner has a unique flexibility that “super-charges” the action of taking off a shoe. Nike reimagined the movement of kicking off the shoe as a basis for an accessible and empowering design.
For now, the shoe isn’t available for everyone. GO FlyEase is currently only available via invite for select Nike Members, but Nike plans wider consumer availability later this year. Initially, the shoes are offered in three different color schemes, including black/anthracite/razor blue, white/celestine blue/volt, and black/dynamic turquoise/hyper crimson.
The video above gives a glimpse behind the scenes of designing the GO FlyEase. The shoes are certainly very unique looking and are as interesting sitting on the floor of your room as they do on your feet while exercising or walking around town.