The Nike Mag, complete with Adaptive Fit, is set to be released in partnership with The Michael J. Fox Foundation in an effort to speed a cure for Parkinson’s. Almost 30 years ago, Nike inspired a future vision of footwear – an individually responsive shoe that senses the wearer and adapts on its own. The Nike Mag, famously worn on the silver screen by Michael J. Fox, quickly became a cultural icon.
Nike and The Michael J. Fox Foundation announced the release of the 2016 Nike Mag – a limited-edition release of only 89 pairs available globally through an online draw – to once again channel the excitement of the Nike Mag to raise awareness in the fight against Parkinson’s disease and the Foundation’s tireless efforts to speed a cure.
Nike first partnered with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in 2011. A version of the shoe was built for the Foundation and auctioned, raising nearly $10 million in 10 days – 100 percent of which went to fund critical Parkinson’s research. Last year, Nike realized the future by hand-delivering the first adaptive Nike Mag shoes to Michael J. Fox.
Nike took the first step in bringing adaptive footwear into more sports this spring with the introduction of the Nike HyperAdapt 1.0, a performance shoe that automatically laces and fits to the unique shape of each athlete’s foot. The 2016 Nike Mag combines the archetype invention with new technologies developed for the HyperAdapt 1.0. The result is an individually responsive system, called Adaptive Fit that senses the wearer and tightens or loosens accordingly.
One in 100 people over 60 will be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a chronic, degenerative brain disease affecting an estimated one million Americans and five million individuals worldwide (second only to Alzheimer’s in prevalence). While classified as a movement disorder whose symptoms typically progress from mild tremors to serious physical disability, Parkinson’s also gives rise to disabling non-movement-related symptoms including depression, cognitive impairment, pain, fatigue and digestive issues. Current treatments mask some symptoms but lose effectiveness over time and do not slow disease progression.
Michael J. Fox founded his eponymous Foundation in 2000 after publicly disclosing that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s at age 29. His stated goal: Find the cure and close the Foundation’s doors. The organization today continues working at an urgent pace to identify and drive the most critical research, and to mobilize the Parkinson’s research and patient communities to take part in our work and help speed vital progress toward a future without Parkinson’s disease.
