Kicks: Nike Mag Live Auction Saturday at Niketown New York

From our friends at Nike:

BEAVERTON, Ore. (September 15, 2011) – Nike and the Michael J. Fox Foundation are partnering for an exclusive live auction of the 2011 NIKE MAG at Niketown New York on Saturday, September 17, 2011 at 10:04 p.m. As one of ten live auctions around the world, all net proceeds go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation to help with its mission to cure Parkinson’s disease.

The NIKE MAG shoes originally captured the imagination of audiences in Back to the Future II, when the character Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, wore them in the year 2015. Nike has been urged to release the shoes for many years. Leading up to the release of the 2011 NIKE MAG, a generous 50 million dollar match grant was given to the Michael J. Fox Foundation by Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki. They will match all donations to the foundation, up to 50 million dollars, through the end of 2012. The timing seemed perfect to bring the 2011 NIKE MAG back to support a bigger idea.

“This project is exciting to me because it brings together three very passionate audiences: the Parkinson’s community, sneakerheads and Back to the Future fans,” said Michael J. Fox. “With their support we can accelerate our objective of finding a cure for Parkinson’s.”

At each of the ten live-auction locations, one pair of the 2011 NIKE MAG shoes will be available in a premium yellow “plutonium” case inspired by Back to the Future. Also available for purchase are ceramic replica shoes and commemorative pins. Collectively, 3000 Nike MAG ceramic replicas ($88 USD each) and 50,000 pins ($10 USD each) will be available over the course of the week for purchase. All net proceeds of these items will go to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

The ten locations include:

Hollywood, CA
Santa Monica, California, USA
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
New York, New York, USA
Milan, Italy
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Paris, France
Berlin, Germany
London, United Kingdom
Tokyo, Japan

Since September 8, 2011, 150 pairs a day of the 2011 NIKE MAG shoes have been available on eBay Fashion Vault for U.S. residents. The U.S. online auction will end September 18.

The first rechargeable footwear from Nike, the 2011 NIKE MAG shoes are designed to be a match to the original in the film, down to the contours of the upper, the glowing LED panel and the electroluminescent NIKE in the strap. The only deviations from the original are no power-lacing and the addition of foam support in the ankle and toe box for increased comfort. The 2011 NIKE MAG illuminates with the pinch of the “ear” of the high top, glowing for five hours per charge.

Head to the Event page on Facebook for more details.