On the 15th of February, Nike was set to release what was promoted as their first-ever hands-free sneaker through invite for Nike Members. The GO FlyEase was evidence of how aesthetics and function can meet to create innovation. Using a flexible tensioner strap, the shoes were easy to put on and take off by slipping your foot in without having to do any laces, zips, or straps. the shoe is universal and available for everyone, however, in a video explaining the design, Nike did say that the shoe was made with adaptive athletes in mind. The shoe itself was inspired by 16-year-old Matthew Walzer, a young man who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, who wrote a letter to Nike in 2012, asking for a pair of shoes that would make it easier for those like him to put on shoes – with no laces or straps.

On paper, this was a brilliant idea. The inclusive shoes can benefit those who are less physically abled or those who are neurodivergent and find it harder to be self-sufficient. It also makes day-to-day tasks easier who are self-sufficient, making the shoe more convenient. Not to mention that those with disabilities are not very well represented in the fashion industry. Society tells us from a young age to be thin, fit, and, in this case, able-bodied. Paraplegic model Bri Scalesse even tells Vogue, “As a child, I longed to see myself reflected in an image, but I couldn’t find my body, or my chair represented on TV or in magazines. Disabled people weren’t models or actresses. There was no disabled princess.” So, for Nike to create a product that makes things easier for the disabled community is great; it lets those in the community know that they are seen and heard by the fashion industry. Furthermore, it opens the option for other brands to follow suit and make fashion available for the community.

So, the question arises, where could this go wrong? Nike had such a good and inclusive idea to make things easier for everyone especially their target audience, adaptive athletes, and those who are less physically able.

 The shoe was set for public release on April 30^th, however, Nike reportedly refused to say how many of the shoes would be made. This caused many to raise up a conversation about whether it could be seen that Nike was exploiting the disabled community to build up hype and sell a shoe that “many of them won’t be able to afford”. This was made evident when on the day of the drop. Many of the pairs were purchased by resellers and bots looking to profit off the release by selling them from secondary stores and markets such as ‘Stock X’ and ‘Goat’.

The shoe itself was supposed to be available for all and yet it sold out due to resellers buying pairs, to later profit off them. 19-year-old Louis Lingard said, “Now, it’s someone with a disability that actually needs the shoe for the design purpose that wants it, they’re gonna have to pay on the upend of $500 to get it.”

It could be said, then, that the Nike GO FlyEase failed. The cause of this could be that of resellers profiting off those in need of the shoe and overpricing. It could also be said, however, that this is the fault of Nike themselves, by building up the hype of a new inclusive shoe with little stock making it easier for the resellers to obtain the shoe, leaving little to nothing to those who need it.

Eventually, the shoe will get a restock. Sarah Reinersten, a designer for the FlyEase team at Nike and an athlete with a prosthetic leg, said that “We know that this is a shoe that everybody wants, but has a huge impact as well, so we’re scaling, and we just also ask for everybody’s patience as we continue to pick up our pace… We need everyone to buy into this so we can have more options.” While it is good that there will be an eventual second drop, a larger first stock would have made it more accessible to buy, especially for those who are in the same position as Louis Lingard or Sarah Reinersten, or Matthew Walzer. However, thanks to resellers and Nike’s poor judgement, what was promoted as Nike’s most inclusive shoe design, “ended up being exclusive in its release”.

Bibliography

Conway, T. (2021). Nike GO FlyEase Release Date, Pics and Retail Price. [online] Bleacher Report. Available at: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2930882-nike-go-flyease-release-date-pics-and-retail-price#:~:text=After%20several%20previews%2C%20Nike’s,members%20before%20a%20wide%20release. [Accessed 16 May 2021].

Dunne, B. (2021). Disabled People Question Nike Over FlyEase Shoes. [online] Complex. Available at: https://www.complex.com/sneakers/nike-go-flyease-sneakers-for-disabled-people [Accessed 16 May 2021].

Lawson, M. (2021). Why We Need Better Disability Representation In Fashion. [online] British Vogue. Available at: https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/madison-lawson-disability-representation [Accessed 15 May 2021].

Nike (2021a). Nike Go FlyEase | Behind the Design | Nike. [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTRsiWa79rY [Accessed 27 Mar. 2021].

Nike (2021b). Nike Officially Unveils The Go FlyEase, Its First Truly Hands-Free Shoe. Sneaker News. Available at: https://sneakernews.com/2021/02/01/nike-go-flyease-release-date/.

Purcell, E. (2021). Nike launches hands-free shoes inspired by man with cerebral palsy. [online] Disability Horizons. Available at: https://disabilityhorizons.com/2021/02/nike-launches-hands-free-shoes-inspired-by-man-with-cerebral-palsy/ [Accessed 14 May 2021].

Tesfaye, E. (2021). Nike Accused Of “Using Disability” To Hype New Hands-Free Sneaker. [online] NPR.org. Available at: https://www.npr.org/2021/03/28/981197687/nike-accused-of-using-disability-to-hype-new-hands-free-sneaker?t=1621023864696 [Accessed 16 May 2021].