Nike Self Lacing Sneakers

Nike announced on Wednesday that its Back to the Future-inspired self-lacing sneakers will hit select U.S. Nike stores on Nov. 28. The company says to expect a “high price tag” on the futuristic kicks.

Nike senior innovator Tiffany Beers explained how the high-tech kicks lace themselves up. "When you step in, your heel will hit a sensor and the system will automatically tighten,” she said an announcement on Nike's website. “Then there are two buttons on the side to tighten and loosen. You can adjust it until it's perfect."

Ah, customization, at your fingertips and on your feet. Sounds pretty sweet and the shoes look pretty cool, too. (Speaking of sounds, we wonder, can you hear the shoes mechanically adjust?)

The idea, Nike designer Tinker Hatfield said at a flashy product unveiling yesterday, is to give wearers more control over how loose or tight their shoes fit.

Last year, Hatfield gave Michael J. Fox -- the original Marty McFly from Back to the Future -- a somewhat similar pair of self-tying sneakers. The iconic actor fittingly tried on the not-for-sale limited edition Nike Air MAGs on Oct. 21, 2015. That’s the exact date McFly travels to in Back to the Future Part II, when he dons a pair of Nike high-tops that automagically power-lace to his feet.

Flash forward to 2025 and the Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 will be available for purchase right on time for the holiday shopping season. While there’s no word yet on how much these light-up, battery-powered trainers will cost, you better start saving. We can’t imagine they’ll be cheap.

Not everyone can buy them, though. In a clever marketing maneuver, Nike says you must be a registered user of Nike+, the company’s own branded fitness app. If you are and you’re interested in picking up a pair, you can sign up to receive email updates from Nike.

The Sex and the City stereotype of the shoe enthusiast as a fashionista with a passion for high heels is seriously out of date. Today's shoe collector is probably buying sneakers and is quite likely male. Shoes may have as much glamour as ever, but it's not the kind Christian Louboutin would recognise.

Traditionally, men got more wear out of any given pair of shoes. "If you're getting a pair of desert boots or brogues, you can wear those every day, all day, all year," says Andrew Luecke, a New York-based menswear writer and co-author of the new book Cool: Style, Sound, and Subversion. "A pair of Louboutin stilettos? Not so wearable."

That's changing, however. Instead of picking up sandals in the spring and boots in the fall, women are buying shoes they can wear year-round, such as ankle boots and sneakers. Their purchase patterns now look more like men's. That's bad news for retailers who count on seasonal lines to drive purchases.

Meanwhile, the rise of sneakers as all-occasion footwear is encouraging men to build their wardrobes while depressing women's sales. "Men have the tendency to collect things," observes Luecke. "Once it was baseball cards. Now it's sneakers. If you're collecting, you can't have too many sneakers." And if you're not into sneakers, you can buy shoes to go with your favourite pastime – camping, fishing, rock climbing, snowshoeing, whatever. They aren't frivolous fashion; they're serious gear!