Nike has developed a new shoe to help people with disabilities and other physical limitations feel comfortable and confident.
The laceless LeBron Zoom Soldier 8 Flyease, designed by Nike's Tobie
Hatfield, offers an easy slip-in way to put on the shoes, while still
providing ample ankle support.
The shoe was inspired by Matthew Walzer, a teenager with cerebral
palsy who was preparing to enter his junior year of high school in
2012. According to
Nike's extremely touching story, he was scared about going off to college without being able to tie his shoes on his own.
He wrote a letter to Nike:
"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've worn Nike
basketball shoes all my life. 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," the letter read.
Nike Basketball/YoutubeMatthew Walzer, Nike's inspiration.
Tobie
Hatfield read the letter. Fortunately, Hatfield had experience
designing shoes for Paralympians. He decided to make a shoe for Walzer.
Hatfield worked with Walzer to create the perfect shoe, using Nike designs as inspiration.
Nike adds that these were two of LeBron James's shoes.
"I worked with Matthew just as I would with any athlete. He was an
absolute pleasure to work with," Hatfield said in Nike's story.
Nike Basketball/YoutubeDesigner Tobie Hatfield.
Nike
sent Walzer a version in 2012, which Walzer said gave him "the greatest
sense of independence [he had] ever felt in [his] life."
Hatfield continued working to make the perfect shoe in conjunction with orthopedic and prosthetic company
Ă–ssur, notes the
Huffington Post.
Three years later, he came out with the LeBron Zoom Solider 8 Flyease
shoe, which solved the problem of entering and lacing up high-top
basketball shoes.
He described the groundbreaking zipper as a "cutting edge wrap-around zipper system" to
Fast Company.
Nike Basketball/YouTubeMatthew trying on the
"We used Matthew as a muse, which was awesome because he couldn't
believe that a big company would do something for him," Hatfield told
The Huffington Post.
Walzer, now a sophomore in college, even had the opportunity to meet LeBron James.
Nike Basketball/YoutubeMatthew and LeBron James.
James testified to Nike the power of the shoe. "Matthew inspired us
at Nike to be able to bring something special that will not only be for
himself for also for the masses," he said.
Now, Hatfield is working on new projects.
The shoe will be available for purchase on July 16, and Nike will
also be sending these shoes to two basketball teams in the Special
Olympics.
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