Nike On Its 4 Most Innovative Shoes Of 2015

Nike introduced new technologies in its product offerings throughout 2015, most often in its footwear. Via its website, the Beaverton, Ore.-based athletic brand is looking back at how it used its latest and greatest technologies in shoes, from basketball to soccer, training and more.

One such innovation was the Flyease, a wraparound zipper mechanism that opens the shoe in the back near the heel, which makes sliding the foot in and out easier, eliminating the need to tie laces. The technology also does not sacrifice how the foot is locked down in the shoe.

The technology was used on the Zoom Soldier Flyease 8, which was worn by 16-year-old Special Olympic athlete Aaron Miller, who was greeted by NBA superstar LeBron James during a game in Boston against the Celtics for his “Hero of the Game” honor.

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Its FootballX collection was also a subject of discussion. The brand’s Flyknit technology was used for the first time in shoes designed for small-sided soccer, a game with fewer players on a smaller field. The collection featured the MagistaX, the MercurialX and the HypervenomX in indoor court and turf versions.

The Nike Air Mag, originally featured in the classic film “Back to the Future Part II,” reappeared this year with updates. The limited-edition shoe now features the brand’s “power laces,” a self-fastening system that senses the wearer’s motion.

Also debuting this year was Nike’s Metcon 1, the brand’s latest cross-training shoe. Made for high-intensity competitive training, the lightweight, strong shoe features a durable wraparound midsole to protect against abrasions from rope climbs, a stable heel for heavy lifting and a flexible and sticky forefoot for box jumps, burpees and pushups.

The brand released the shoe in the Varsity Red colorway in July, using the same colors on the Air Jordan 1 that was banned by the NBA in 1985 for violating the league’s on-court dress code. The colorway was a shot at Reebok, the footwear and apparel sponsor of the CrossFit Games, for not allowing Nike to be worn at the event.

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