After a number of teases throughout the day, Nike has finally made it official: the Back to the Future shoes, called the Nike Mag sneakers, are real and they will be available to wear — just not right now.
And if you were wondering if the shoes would have the same power laces from the movie, yes, they will.
The announcement on Nike’s website describes the lacing mechanisms as an “individually responsive system that senses the wearer’s motion to provide adaptive on-demand comfort and support. But this is just the first iteration.”
Nike’s announcement doesn’t say when or if the shoes will ever be available to the public.
However, the announcement does mention that the shoe is a limited edition model that will first be sold via auction with all the proceeds going to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Details regarding the auction (when, where, etc.) won’t be revealed until spring 2016.
“By imagining the future, we create it,” reads the statement from Nike. “Product that comes alive, with on-demand comfort and support when you need, product that senses you and adapts to you is right around the corner.”
Based on the language included in the announcement, the limited edition version could just the first version of self-lacing shoes. The Nike Mags might be the first of a new kind of “smart shoe” that continuously re-adjusts the fit to optimize comfort and performance. After all, the future is long.
