Do you want "Back to the Future" Nikes?
Do you want "Back to the Future" Nikes?
Nike is going back to the future.
The sneaker maker on Thursday said it has created a limited-edition shoe based on a glowing pair that appeared in the popular 1989 movie "Back to the Future II." The 2011 Nike Mag is designed to be an exact replica of the fictional sneaker, including a glowing Nike name on the strap. But unlike the movie version, these shoes won't lace themselves.
Nike will release 1,500 pairs of the 2011 Nike Mag sneaker for auction on eBay and donate all proceeds to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's disease research. Fox famously played Marty McFly in the "Back to the Future" time-travel trilogy, where he wore the shoes during a visit to the year 2015.
"It hasn't gone unnoted by us that there is something special about that shoe and, of course, the movie," said famed Nike shoe designer Tinker Hatfield, who helped design the original shoe and worked on the latest version.
Nike's collector sneaker has been long awaited by shoe collectors and movie fans, who have been urging the company to make them ever since the movie was released. There were roughly eight or ten pairs used in the movie, some of which are in Nike's possession and a few that collectors somehow got their hands on.
"This is the biggest thing that has happened to sneakers since Michael Jordan, hands down," said Matt Halfhill, an avid shoe collector who runs the website nicekicks.com and flew from Austin, Texas, to Los Angeles for the unveiling of the shoe on Thursday hours after Nike contacted him. "Other than the birth of one of my children, I wouldn't have missed this for anything."
Halfhill was among the revelers at Nike's 1980s-themed launch party Thursday in LA. A line stretched around the block for the invitation-only affair at Hollywood's Montalban theater, where tastemakers, sneaker freaks and Nike executives from around the world got a peek at the new collectible shoe. There was a DeLorean time machine parked outside, and inside, a wall of 210 of the light-up Nike Mag shoes (behind glass). A DJ spun '80s tunes before Hatfield took the stage to talk about the new shoe and officially open the eBay auction.
Nike Inc., based in Beaverton, Ore., decided more than four years ago to create the shoe, but was unsure when a pair would be ready. Unlike the shoes in the movie, the real-life versions had to be designed for day-to-day use. For instance, the design used in the movie required Fox to wear a battery pack with wires running down his pants to light the shoe, which was the best technology available at the time.
Hatfield said the Nike Mag has been difficult to develop and the electrical systems, which illuminate the shoe for up to five hours, have been one of the most challenging things the company has ever done in footwear. But the timing seemed perfect to bring the shoe back to support a bigger idea.
That Nike is releasing the shoe in 2011 enables it to take advantage of a matching grant for the foundation. Google founder Sergey Brin and his wife Anne Wojcicki have offered to match all donations to the Michael J. Fox Foundation up to $50 million through the end of 2012.
The auction begins Thursday and will end Sept. 18.
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- Posted on September 9, 2011
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These seem like really nice shoes. Were they really from back to the future? These shoes must only be available for one day;l What type of material did they use?
I would love to have a pair they are great.They are rely nice to me they are .Black like scary but nice.If I had a pair I would were them ever thing.
These are my DREAM shoe. i could flash these off and everyone would be jealous. I wouldnt spend two grand on them but if i could i would. These are like a deus ex shoe.
I like the Nike shoes of 2011 but they should make it a low top because no girls wants to wear high with skinny jeans in the summer that for winter lol.*))))))
Those shoes are awesome and I really want them. I've seen back to the future 2 and those shoes rock. They might be really expensive but they were awesome to look at. I really want some Nikes like that but it would be hard to find glowing shoes where I live.
These shoes are Sweet! The only thing I don't like about them is that they come up to your knees! Also, they are made by Nike, ADIDAS are the best!
I wish I could have a pair of these shoes. They are so cool. When I first saw "Back to the Future," which was probably six years ago I remember seeing those shoes. I think I may have even asked my mom if she could get me a pair. The fact that they are only making 1,500 Nike Mags is a drag. I guess it is all for a good cause seeing that all of the money for the sales of the shoes goes to the Michael J. Fox Foundation and lets face he did bring those kicks to life in the movie. Since the shoes are being sold on EBay, I wonder how much the shoes actually bid up to. I'm sure it was a pretty big chunk of change.
I would love to have one of these shoe. I think that they`re cool, but I think they would cost a lot of money. Also, they won`t last long .
Fact: I want those shoes :D
Those shoes are amazing ive seen them in person and theyre a lot better in person but im probably never gonna get close to having them.
Comment: Those sneakers look crazy. They kinda look like they could be brand new football cleats... They also glow in the dark. How cool is that? To have glow in the dark sneakers. Imagine like its pitch black outside and all you see is the sneakers lighting up, that would be kinda scary. But in my opinion, i don't like the style of the actual sneaker. I probably would get them if they would of changed the style of the sneaker.