This week is the week when Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett L. Brown come from the past to change the future (or something like that)! Back to the Future 2 happens this week! Many fans (including me) have been waiting for this to celebrate. So let’s celebrate it in true fashion style and answer the question: would fashion from the movie be possible today?

MartyMcFly’s Nike Air Mag (Power Laces)

These kicks are already legendary. Self-lacing, equipped with LED lights, Nike’s are one of the items that “Back to the Future 2” fans remember the most. Is it possible to have them? Yes, no, yes, no and yes. Yes, because Nike actually produced a limited edition of the shoes. It looks just the same as the one in the movie.

No, because Nike’s shoes, unfortunately, don’t lace themselves. You can buy shoes with LED lights, but that means that you still have to bend down and tie your shoes manually.

So would it be possible to make shoes like that? Actually the answer is yes. It would probably take a weight and gesture recognition sensor, software, and a magnet to do it. Or just a strap moving mechanism, software for a user, control system and a weight sensor. There is also 4d printing that can help with laces, and project Soli which can help us with the gestures.

So why the last “no”? And why don’t we have this yet? First of all, consumers aren’t ready for a mainstream edition of Power Laces – we need to wait just a little bit longer for new technologies like wearables to be more grounded, and for consumers to actually trust the technology (we don’t have problems with smartwatches, but try selling intelligent dresses). Second of all, today’s costs might be higher than the actual “worth” of the product for an average consumer. So we need to wait just a few months/years longer.

So why the last “yes”? Nike already has US patent for that and actually is working on has developed Power Laces! They comrifmed that they’re planning to release already have a 2015 edition. And let’s hope it laces itself. So I’m waiting for this limited edition. We’ll see what happens!

Marty McFly’s body adjusting jacket