Those self-lacing ‘Back to the Future’ sneakers just auctioned for $100,000

By Trevor Mogg Published October 11, 2016

Oh boy, someone out there really wanted a pair of those awesome Back to the Future sneakers.

An unnamed buyer at an auction in Hong Kong on Monday bid a whopping $104,000 for the flashy self-lacing Mag shoes made famous by Marty McFly in part two of the Back to the Future trilogy.

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Just set a new WORLD RECORD for the most expensive pair of sneakers ever at auction Worldwide!!! #nikemag @Nike ! Sold them for US$104k!!!

— Dragon8 Auctions (@Dragon8Auctions) October 11, 2016

Two more auctions – one in London later this month and another in New York City in November – will give other moneyed Mag fans the chance to get their feet inside the sneakers, though judging by the Hong Kong event, the competition will be tough.

Cash raised at the auctions will go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF), an organization working toward trying to find a cure for Parkinson’s.

Nike and MJFF recently launched a $10-a-ticket raffle offering 89 pairs of the special sneakers as prizes, with the winners due to be announced next week.

For slip-on fans that like the idea of their footwear incorporating a bit of tech wizardry, Nike is currently prepping for next month’s launch of its revolutionary adaptive lacing HyperAdapt 1.0 sneakers.

Just like the Mag shoes, the specially designed sneaker features “adaptive fit” functionality (aka power-lacing) that enable the shoe to gently tighten around the foot when its pressure sensitive sensors are activated.

It even includes a couple of buttons on the outside so you can fine-tune the fit by gently tightening and loosening the shoe while you’re wearing it.

HyperAdapt co-designer Tinker Hatfield sees the potential of adaptive lacing as a big deal for athletes as it offers a “tailored-to-the-moment” custom fit.

“It is amazing to consider a shoe that senses what the body needs in real-time,” Hatfield said earlier this year. “That eliminates a multitude of distractions, including mental attrition, and thus truly benefits performance.”

You can find out more about Nike’s HyperAdapt 1.0 sneakers here.

Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

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