MANILA, Philippines – Great Scott! Nike has finally announced that they are set to release actual self-lacing Nike Air Mags modeled after the ones in the sci-fi flick Back to the Future Part II.
In the film, Marty McFly and “Doc” Emmett Brown, who were onboard the iconic DeLorean time machine, arrived on October 21, 2015 in the future version of Hill Valley, California. To fit in, Marty donned an outfit from the era, which includes the now-iconic footwear.
{source}<iframe width="100%" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/28Wa5L-fkkM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>{/source}
October 21, 2015 has arrived in real life, and there really is no other more apt date to announce the great news.
The new kicks are lit, as sneakerheads would say, and fans of the Back to the Future movies are also absolutely hyped.
{source}<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="5" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://instagram.com/p/9Fnxnyxegg/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by HYPEBEAST (@hypebeast)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2015-10-21T05:25:50+00:00">Oct 20, 2015 at 10:25pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
<script async defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>{/source}
In a noble gesture, Nike delivered a pair to Marty McFly himself, actor Michael J. Fox.
{source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is real. This is today. Coming spring 2016. cc: <a href="https://twitter.com/realmikefox">@RealMikeFox</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Nike">@Nike</a> <a href="https://t.co/KPswXNojvA">pic.twitter.com/KPswXNojvA</a></p>— michaeljfox.org (@MichaelJFoxOrg) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelJFoxOrg/status/656909095358873600">October 21, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>{/source}
Fox tweeted a photo of a handwritten letter from Nike designer Tinker Hatfield Hatfield saying that he should have the honor of unboxing the first pair.
With a Marty doodle to boot, the letter said, “Almost thirty years ago, we embarked on a journey to create a glimpse into ‘the future.’ Although the project started as science fiction, we’re now proud to turn that fiction into fact.”
“As the first, most celebrated wearing of the Nike Air Mag, we wanted you to be the first to receive a living pair. ‘I meant Nike Mag’ (I must have ‘air’ on the brain)!”
“What is so special about the Nike Air Mag is its impact continues to resonate. We may never know its final legacy, but we continue to work on projects that carry and progress some of its principles.”
{source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The letter I received from Tinker today. Thanks <a href="https://twitter.com/Nike">@Nike</a> <a href="https://t.co/UIolXrkUVC">pic.twitter.com/UIolXrkUVC</a></p>— Michael J. Fox (@realmikefox) <a href="https://twitter.com/realmikefox/status/656895622201655296">October 21, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>{/source}
Here’s a video of Fox trying on the pair:
{source}<blockquote class="twitter-video" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Michael J. Fox models the first self-lacing <a href="https://twitter.com/Nike">@Nike</a> Mag <a href="https://t.co/bgPWM5CKBE">pic.twitter.com/bgPWM5CKBE</a></p>— michaeljfox.org (@MichaelJFoxOrg) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelJFoxOrg/status/656929718084739072">October 21, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
{/source}
He also showed it off on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live.
{source}<iframe width="100%" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F1Kazbz_3Hw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>{/source}
Nike has also announced that limited pairs are up for auction in Spring 2016, in support of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
Fox was diagnosed with the degenerative disease of the nervous system back in 1991.
In 2011, Nike released a limited edition replica of the film-inspired sneakers, albeit without power laces.
The sales for the 2011 model raised around $ 9.4 million in aid of Parkinson’s disease research, according to Hatfield’s letter to Fox.
As a prototype, the digital technology used in the sneakers dubbed “power laces,” can be implemented in future models.
According to a press release from Nike, the Mag is said to be “individually responsive [to a] wearer’s motion to provide adaptive on-demand comfort and support,” and is potentially game changing for athletes. – Rappler.com
Paolo Abad is a film/television editor and motion graphic designer. He is also a self-confessed concert junkie – a perennial attendee at gigs of indie acts.