Nike released a specifically designed sneaker for people with disabilities on July 16th 2015. At CPF we are passionate about new innovations and this is one of our favorite products to hit the market. We have been following the progress of this shoe design since 2012, when Matthew Walzer, a young man with cerebral palsy wrote to Nike asking them to make him a pair of shoes that he could put on himself.

“My dream is to go to the college of my choice without having to worry about someone coming to tie my shoes every day. I can only wear this type of shoe, because I need ankle support to walk. At 16 years old, I am able to completely dress myself, but my parents still have to tie my shoes. As a teenager who is striving to become totally self-sufficient, I find this extremely frustrating and, at times, embarrassing.”

Matthew’s letter soon became viral and gained the attention of renowned Nike designer Tobie Hatfield. They spent the next 3 years trailing and redefining designs trying a variety of no-lace solutions ranging from Velcro to zippers to cable dials. To develop his prototypes, Hatfield also looked to a number of existing Nike silhouettes, including the Nike Hyperdunk and the Nike Zoom Soldier, which aligned with Walzer’s favorite basketball player, LeBron James.

FLYEASE technology introduces a wrap-around zipper solution that opens the back of the shoe near the heel-counter, making it easier to slide the foot in and out. At the same time, the system provides sufficient lockdown and eliminates the need to tie traditional laces.

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