Consumers shopping for adaptive fashion just got a new footwear option.
A new, more affordable version of the Madrid sneaker landed recently, offering design features that serve customers in need of adaptive technology. The $99 shoe from Kizik Design, a brand within the portfolio of Nike-based startup Handsfree Labs, leverages the latter’s F1 F.A.S.T. (Foot Activated Shoe Technology) Titanium Arc system for a “seamless on-and-off experience.”
“We’re thrilled to bring a more affordable price point and versatile style to our customers who have made the switch to handsfree,” HandsFree Labs, Inc. CEO Monte Deere said. “We’re continuing to expand our portfolio of patents and have implemented our handsfree technology into a wide range of styles from dress shoes to sandals, and are proud to now offer a more casual, athleisure style shoe.”
In addition to the easy-in, easy-out design, the Madrid sneaker offers an on-trend stretch-knit upper and heel liner crafted from leather engineered to reduce sliding and improve the shoe’s durability. Consumers will also find the shoe bears Kizik’s signature contoured footbed and adjustable lacing, which enables a “unique and custom fit for any size,” the footwear maker said.
A padded shoe entry and an “aerospace-grade” titanium rebound round out the silhouette, which sits on a lightweight injected foam outsole.
In November, Handsfree Labs accepted a Nike investment in exchange for the athletic giant gaining exclusive rights to its intellectual property. Nike described the partnership as potentially eliminating “barriers to play” and making “sport easier for more people.”
This year, Handsfree Labs intends to augment its portfolio of adaptive footwear, with plans to release a more modern, fashion-forward adaptive tech shoe style dubbed the Pilar in the first half of 2020.
The company’s products are available at 160 retail locations and online at the Nordstrom, Zappos and Kizik websites, retailing between $99 and $170.