Assignment A3 - Technology Paper

When you hear the word “technology” shoes is not the first word that comes to mind. Shoes have been around for a long time and have drastically evolved through the decades. In the beginning they were simply made to protect feet from the natural elements. As time went on they became a symbol of social class and power. Now, shoes are used for fashion and performance. One shoe in particular, the sneaker, has come a long way. The first sneakers, or originally called “plimsolls,” were created in the late 18^th century (The History). They were simply regular shoes but they had rubber soles. The rubber soles are how these shoes got their more popular name “sneaker” (The History). It’s said that “the rubber soles made the shoes noiseless while walking and someone could actually sneak up on someone without them hearing” (The History). In today’s society not only are sneakers popular but shoes of all kinds are popular and worn by many. One man who is a known legend in the footwear scene is Tinker Hatfield. Tinker Hatfield is an American designer who is most famous for his designs of Nike’s Air Jordan series. Hatfield and Michael Jordan worked together for years coming up with the designs for the popular Nike Air Jordan’s series. At one point is his career with Nike, Hatfield was asked to design a sneaker for the 1985 film Back To The Future. In a documentary series on Netflix named Abstract, Hatfield explains how for the film they “needed a special shoe that would fit into the year 2015, which was 25 years into the future at the time” (Tinker) After months of planning and designing Hatfield and his team came up with the design for the self-lacing sneaker. In the film Michael J. Fox’s character Marty McFly wears a pair of Nike self-lacing sneakers but the ones worn in the film were actually a dummy shoe prototype that didn’t actually work. This design left Hatfield wanting to design and create an actual self-lacing shoe and year later E.A.R.L. (Electric Adaptable Reaction Lacing) was created (Tinker). In the early stages of E.A.R.L. there were many problems Hatfield and his team ran into. The first prototypes of the sneakers had to either be “plugged into a wall or the person wearing them had to carry around an old car battery in a backpack” or something which is very impractical for everyday use (Tinker). Advancements in batteries and other technology had to be made for Hatfield and his team to create the first ever self-lacing sneaker that would actually work and be functional. It took the team at Nike a year and a half of trial and error to finally create the “Nike Hyperadapt 1.0” In the documentary Hatfield explains how he wanted to “make a shoe that would be smart and could sense who you were. And when you put the shoe on it comes alive and shapes to your foot” (Tinker). The Nike Hyperadapt was exactly this, as a former track and field athlete Hatfield talks about how feet “undergo an incredible amount of stress during competition,” but every athlete wants to be the best and Hatfield believed with a good pair of performance sneakers this was achievable (Tinker). Overall, Hatfield wanted to make a shoe that was not only fashionable but comfortable and functional as well. Most people use their feet every day and wearing the right pair of shoes for the right occasion can make a big difference. It’s very important for people to wear not only a good pair of shoes but the right pair of shoes. Maintaining good foot health is necessary because your feet help with various body movements and can reduce or omit some bodily pains and aches. In the future I don’t know where shoes will go. Maybe Hatfield and his team will create a pair of magnetic levitating sneakers like they wanted in the Back To The Future film originally. Maybe shoes will stay the same but I’m sure of one thing and that is that I doubt shoes will ever go out of style.

Works Cited

Picone, Kiri. “The Fascinating History of Footwear.” ati (All That’s  Interesting, 23 April 2013, https://allthatsinteresting.com/fascinating-history-footwear. Accessed 6 October 2018.

“Tinker Hatfield: Footwear Design.” Abstract: The Art of Design, season 1, episode 2, 10 Feb. 2017. Netflix, https://www.netflix.com/watch/80093805. Accessed 6 October, 2018.

“The History and Evolution of Shoes.” DOLITA, 5 Mar. 2018, www.dolitashoes.com/blogs/news/the-history-and-evolution-of-shoes. Accessed 6 October, 2018.