Nike’s ‘Back to the Future’ Shoes aren’t self-fastening

Nike got us all hot and bothered when it teased the launch of Nike Mags just like the shoes Michael J. Fox wore in Back to the Future. The company’s Back to the Future-themed hints together with a 2010 filing for self-fastening shoes had us pretty damn excited. Last night, Nike pulled back the curtain to reveal the 2011 Nike MAG shoe and though it’s a visual replica of Marty’s shoe, they aren’t self-fastening.
“The original NIKE MAG was worn by the Back to the Future character Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, in the year 2015. It came alive, lit up and formed to Marty’s foot,” Nike says. “The 2011 NIKE MAG shoe was designed to be a precise replica of the original from Back to the Future II. The aesthetic is an exact match, down to the contours of the upper, the glowing LED panel and the electroluminescent NIKE in the strap. The 2011 NIKE MAG illuminates with the pinch of the “ear” of the high top, glowing for five hours per charge.”
The lack of a self-fastening feature was confirmed in the commercial for the shoes, which, of course, stars our favorite Doc Martin. The store salesman says the self-fastening version isn’t coming until 2015 (just like the movie!), and while that may be a joke, Nike does have the patent for it, so you never know.
If you still want a pair of 2011 Nike MAG shoes, you’ll be even further disappointed to discover that these aren’t going to be on general sale. Instead, there’s only going to be 1500 pairs made. Each day, eBay’s Fashion Vault will auction off 150 pairs and all proceeds will be going to the Michael J. Fox Foundation. The auctions will be running from September 8 at 8:30PM PST (the time of the announcement), and will end September 18. The going rate for a pair of the shoes seems to be between $4000 and $5000 and they run in sizes 7 to 13 (mens, I am assuming). Check out the auction here.











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