Self-lacing shoes are here. Nike is finally making the famous sneakers and gave its first pair of Mag shoes to none other than the star of Back to the Future, Michael J. Fox.
Self-lacing Nikes were one of the futuristic inventions that Marty McFly, Fox’s character, discovered when he time traveled to this date — October 21, 2015 — in the 1989 sequel. Nike came out with a pair of sneakers in 2011 that were similar to those that Marty wore in the film, but without the self-lacing technology.
But even though it’s not yet available to the public, the movie wasn’t exactly wrong in its prediction. Today, Michael J. Fox received the first pair of self-lacing Nike Mag shoes. The Michael J. Fox Foundation tweeted a picture of him wearing the shoes, adding that they will be available to the public in the spring of 2016.
This is real. This is today. Coming spring 2016. cc: @RealMikeFox @Nike pic.twitter.com/KPswXNojvA
— michaeljfox.org (@MichaelJFoxOrg) October 21, 2015
In a letter to the actor, Tinker Hatfield, the shoe designer, stated that proceeds from the sale of the upcoming Nike Mag shoes will be donated to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s, a disease that Fox lives with. The company donated proceeds from the 2011 Nike Mag replicas as well, and was able to raise $9.7 million. Hatfield writes that he hopes to raise even more next year.
The letter I received from Tinker today. Thanks @Nike pic.twitter.com/UIolXrkUVC
— Michael J. Fox (@realmikefox) October 21, 2015