Above all, the Nike Mag represents the ability to make the impossible possible. Introduced as a futuristic prop in 1989, the Mag became a reality when a non-functioning version of the shoe was unveiled in 2011 to raise funds for the fight against Parkinson's disease. As promised by designer Tinker Hatfield, here we are five years later with a functional, auto lacing version of the shoe just like the pair worn by Marty McFly in Back to the Future II.
Obviously, the process from concept to rollout was extremely complicated. In a new video released by Nike on Thursday, Hatfield and Tiffany Beers, Senior Innovator at Nike, discuss early troubles with the Mag when the first prototype was created in 2007, how it became a passion project to help those with disabilities such as Parkinson's, and why this is only the beginning for adaptive lacing.
Fewer than 100 pairs of the power lacing Nike Mag are available exclusively through a $10 ticket drawing at nike.com. Before winners are selected later this month, you can experience the Mag in person at the Nike+ Clubhouse at 45 Grand in New York City. The space will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST on Thursday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday.
