Our Story
There’s more to life than tying your shoes.
That’s what drove us to revolutionize the footwear industry: to make every day easier, for everyone. It’s a technology that’s life-changing for some and joy-sparking for all. Who likes tying their shoes, anyway?
For centuries, shoes have stayed more or less the same. We’re here to change all of that. To date, we have dozens of patents and patents pending to our name. We're on a quest to revolutionize the function of shoes and change the future of footwear.
The Patents
Innovation in every step®
Cage®
A Kizik icon
The original.
The look is unmistakably Kizik, but it’s the tech that lit up the world. You step in. The Cage compresses. Then it springs back to hug your heel. Nothing stiff, nothing rigid. Just a flexible plastic lattice that’s strong enough to hold up to every step you take.
These shoes use Cage® technology:
Internal Cage™
Hidden framework
Icon, undercover.
You can’t see it, but it’s there. The Internal Cage is a new take on the original: interwoven ribs, this time with more criss-crosses, hidden by the shoe’s upper. You get an undeniable aha moment on the step-in: a soft, responsive bounce-back with stay-in-place comfort.
These shoes use Internal Cage™ technology:
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Flex Arc™
Ahead of the curve
Cushioned recoil.
We built the heel of this shoe around a firm yet flexible arc that attaches to the sole in a rainbow shape, and it doesn’t like to be held down. Nothing hard, nothing crushable. Just a low-profile, high-rebound crescent that compresses, then pops into place to cushion your heel.
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External Flex Arc™
A smooth move
Shockingly simple.
It’s way more than a style piece. The External Flex Arc™ attaches to the sole of the shoe to create our smoothest step-in yet. As you step down, the quick-recovery arc will flex and compress against the back of the midsole, then immediately spring back up to provide a soft and secure fit.
Unified™
A bold step.
Innovation, integrated.
Not even Kizik has done this before: integrating our hands-free tech with the outsole of a shoe, all in one piece. This bold look begins with a wide-stance outsole that gives you a comfy roll-through stride, rising upward in an arc that wraps around your heel for our most flexible step-in experience yet. The entire piece is made of our own Flex Foam™, which moves with your foot for unbelievable comfort.
Flaunt your style without sacrifice.
Shoes are a wardrobe essential—nothing expresses style and personality like a fresh pair of kicks! We believe you can have it all. Unapologetic style with the unparalleled convenience of never bending down to tie your shoes or hopping around on one foot to get them on.
Unapologetically hands-free.
Our HandsFree Labs® technology blends right into our shoe design. You’d never know it’s there just by looking. It’s the perfect fusion of fashion and functionality—a beautiful shoe with a special superpower.
“We did not seek to invent and protect just one way to put a shoe on hands-free, but every way.”
Mike Pratt
Founder and Chair
Kizik is the original hands-free shoe, and our tech has multiple patents. In 2019, Nike entered a licensing partnership with our parent company, HandsFree Labs.
See the press release
Built to be worn and loved.
We put our shoes through more than 30,000 compression tests to ensure that each time you step in, they spring back as strong as the first. Each shoe is made of the highest-grade, most durable materials, so they live up to our promise to you: making the everyday easier.
