We live in such a fast-paced and equally lazy world, that just stopping to tie your shoelaces seems like such an unnecessary waste of time. This is why, outside of going running, I wear sandals so I can simply just step into or out of my shoes whenever I need to.
Nike wants to bring that same sort of simplicity into the shoe world, with an innovative design featured in its new Go FlyEase shoes that make wearing a full-covered shoe as simple as ever. The core idea behind this new take on the traditional shoe is what the company calls a ‘bistable hinge’ that lets the shoe move between two positions: an upright one in which the inner sole of the shoe sits at a roughly 30-degree angle so you can easily slip your foot in, and a collapsed position in which the outer layer sits snugly around the inner one while you walk or run.
It’s an interesting idea that allows a person to get out of their shoes without needing to bend down or even use their hands, simply just using their other foot to aid them in and out of their footwear.
There is more to the design though than just pure laziness, with the main idea behind the design being motivated by accessibility and making it easier for people who otherwise would’ve struggled to bend down and remove their shoes. Something which any of us can take for granted and so it’s nice to see Nike address this important issue. Personally, I’m going with the lazy angle as the only reason I want a pair of shoes like these.
Along with its cutting-edge design, comes a range of outrageous colour options which I’m less ecstatic about, but that certainly gives it a visual edge and makes it noticeable that there is something different about these shoes. If they made the colour scheme a little more restrained though it might be able to double as smarter formal shoes, which is really the only excuse I have these days for needing to wear a full pair of shoes unless they can find a way of making this design work with running shoes – in which case I’m in.
Nike is only releasing a limited number of these shoes for now, with no clear details on when it will be rolled out globally so it’ll probably be a long time before we see them coming to our shores. With a current pricing model of $120 though (R1800), it’s well-priced and perhaps an evolution that the footwear industry needs.
Last Updated: February 3, 2021
