![Innie 693dd55634770cdd021e49c0d0ef7fe5_large[1]](http://rossrubin.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Innie-693dd55634770cdd021e49c0d0ef7fe5_large1-300x225.jpg)
So you’re running behind for an important meeting and walking at a pretty brisk pace. You notice that one of your shoes feels loose and look down. That stupid shoe lace has come untied again! Innie offers the opportunity to get those laces under control. The small plastic clip that looks a bit like a colorful razor blade attaches to your shoe’s laces from the inside. Since it sits between the tongue and inside of your shoe, you remain comfortable and it remains invisible. A few similar ideas include Wudzs Snap On, Zipped, and Hickies. If you’re opposed to double knotting your shoes and hate tying too, this could work well for you. For $10 AUD, a backer gets two packs of Innies and an expected delivery of July 2014.
Tag: shoes
The Premise. Lace-up sneakers can take awhile to get on and off. Some people are too lazy to untie their shoes and opt to slip their shoes on and off, but this creates friction at the back of the sneaker. Because of this, their shoes end up wearing out quickly.
The Product. ZIPPED offers custom-made zippers that attach easily onto lace-up sneakers. The product resembles a narrow piece of cloth with eyelets on the side and a zipper in the middle. Instead of having the laces cross as they do normally, they stay on one side and ascend up the eyelets of the ZIPPED. ZIPPED com, ultimately being knotted solo. The product comes in different styles, shapes, patterns and colors.
The Pitch. ZIPPED’s Indiegogo campaign is rather sparse, but shows the different styles that ZIPPED can be ordered in, along with a guide for how to get the proper measurements for a custom ZIPPED that will fit. The video compares take shoes on and off with and without the ZIPPED and shows how much time using ZIPPED saves. ZIPPED has low goal of $2,500 for their 60 day campaign. More information can be found on the company’s Web site.
The Perks. Early-bird backers can enjoy a pair of ZIPPED in their choice of color and style for only $10. At a regular rate, ZIPPED costs $16. Reward tiers go all the way up to $250. Current availability is set at June 2014.
The Potential. Any product that appeals to the most basic of human instincts, laziness, is always welcome on the market. A similar product called Hickies had huge success on Kickstarter a year and a half ago, raising six times its intended goal. Hickies uses stretchy connectors in lieu of shoelaces, making putting shoes on and off that much easier. Lock Laces are another product aimed at battling the evil shoelace and are less expensive than ZIPPED. It’s easy to see how the ZIPPEDs might not look so pretty with age, but , once you’re done threading it, it presents an intuitive and colorful option for the lace-averse.
The Premise. Almost every sport has a dedicated shoe that helps improve performance and makes the experience of playing the sport better. But what about jumping rope? Many athletes jump rope extensively as part of their training, and their is also a whole world of competitive jump roping. Well, now, they have a specialized shoe.
The Product. The RoPix Jump Rope Shoe is designed to help jump ropers jump higher, work out longer, decrease pain and increase their overall fitness level. The shoes have extra internal padding that cushions and helps with rebound. In addition, they are lightweight and don’t have long laces that might get caught in the jumprope.
The Pitch. The video goes into great detail about the shoe itself, as well as the reasons for using Kickstarter. The text provides lots of diagrams and the evolution of the different shoes, as well as showing the user that RoPix is the official shoe of USA Jump Rope. The video also states alternate uses for the shoes, like yoga or martial arts.
The Perks. Aside from providing a great all-around shoe, this shoe really delivers for anyone who spends a lot of time jumping rope. Early birds will get a pair of the shoes for $55 – which is practically a steal for any type of sporting shoe! The shoes are available in multiple sizes and colors and are slated for delivery in May 2014.
The Potential. These lightweight, breathable shoes offer a lot of versatility and could soon be a staple in every athlete’s closet. Shoes like this are great because people are cutting back on their gym memberships and doing more workouts at home. Jumping rope is one of the most simple and effective exercises a person can do, and these shoes will help an athlete jumping longer, faster, and with less pain. That’s absolutely a win.
The Premise. If you’re not up for cuffing or hemming your jeans and alternate between heel lengths, your pants can drag, resulting in rips that can make your spirits drag so as well. There are a number of non-surgical approaches to addressing the losing battle that pants bottoms face when taking on rough sidewalks. These include double sided tape or clips that hem pants.
The Product. Rip Clips seeks to up the ante and your pants hems. The idea is to attach a clip to your shoes and the pants that connect via powerful neodymium magnet.Alas, there are compatibility issues and the product works only with Vans and Converse shoes for now.
The Pitch. Designers Chris Hackler and Nick Durantes take us through the a montage of lifestyle shots visits to an alterations shop, and the inside of the world’s most organized drawer complete with exquisitely spaced Rip Clips in explaining that their design will save you time and trouble in addition to tearing. Trips to the alternation shop, they note, can cost up to $26 and take up to five days. Invoking the classic infomercial refrain, they note, “There’s gotta be a better way!”
The Perks. Rip Clips depend on the attachments being on both the shoes and pants, but that may require some mixing and matching. As such, you may need to buy different parts separately. The project owners offer pants plates starting at $7 but a full set comes in at $13. That’s half of what they claim hemming can cost and the price might drop if the designers can scale up production.
The Potential. Rip Clips addresses an everyday issue. but many teens and young adults likely aren’t too concerned with ripping their jeans. It may be more tempting to market to those who would make the investment for work clothes, but these are the folks for whom alterations may not represent a lot of time and effort.