Development of “MEasy”- A shoe that strikes a balance between good fit and ease of putting on and taking off

In recent years, many shoes have emerged on the market that are promoted with a focus on how easy it is to put them on and take them off. There are also many people who wear their shoes like slip-ons, with the laces tied loosely so that they can be put on and taken off easily without untying any knots. At Mizuno, we have developed “MEasy,” designed with Mizuno’s proprietary “Open Fit Structure” that strikes a balance between the two seemingly conflicting functions of good fit and ease of putting on and taking off. There is strong demand in the market for shoes that are easy to put on and take off, so we felt that there was a need to work on developing them. However, if we were to do so, we felt that we should leverage our strengths as a manufacturer of a wide range of sporting goods to create shoes that are not only easy to put on and take off, but also shoes that fit well and allow the user to move comfortably. Therefore, we set the goal of creating shoes that are easy to put on and take off, while also achieving the two seemingly conflicting functions of good fit and ease of putting on and taking off at a high level. With that in mind, we commenced development.

1.Improving ease of putting on and taking off through the unique mechanism of a “rotating tongue”

In the early stages of development, the developers considered the viewpoint of how to improve ease of putting on and taking off shoes that have good fit, but they soon reached a dead end in the development process. They then changed their perspective completely and approached development from the viewpoint of how to improve the fit on shoes that are easy to put on and take off. The team came up with many ideas and created more than 20 prototypes. In this process, they learned that it is necessary to create a shoe structure that initially widens up the opening before users put the shoes on, then transforms to fit around the feet once the shoes are on. They thought about how to achieve this with just the single action of putting one’s feet into the shoes, and came up with the idea of a “rotating tongue” structure.

The developers had to overcome several obstacles in incorporating this feature into the product. Firstly, they encountered difficulties in finding an optimal solution for the design, material, and structure of the rotating tongue. Moreover, it was necessary to make millimeter-level adjustments for the rubber to be used as the rotating axis. Fine adjustments in the material and structure of the tongue, which holds the key to achieving balance between good fit and ease of putting on and taking off, were also needed.

After repeated adjustments and refinements, the developers eventually created the “Open Fit Structure.” The shoe starts off with a wide opening that enables the user to put it on without using their hands, after which the tongue stays aligned to the shape of the foot once it is in the shoe. This allows the shoe to fit comfortably without coming off when the user is walking. Then, simply removing the foot from the shoe pushes the tongue up and the opening widens up again, returning to a state that allows the user to put their foot in quickly.

2.Verification of ease of putting on, as well as fit

Conventional slip-on shoes with good fit require the user to bend over and use their hands to get their feet all the way into the shoes after they first insert their toes into the opening of the shoes. In the case of “MEasy,” however, all 10 testers were able to put the shoes on without using their hands, and only had to bend over slightly. In addition, they verified that they experienced the same level of good fit as conventional products. These results confirmed that “MEasy” is equipped with both ease of putting on and taking off, as well as good fit performance.^*1

*1 Effects are not guaranteed as the effects and how the shoes feel may vary among individuals.

3.Adoption of soles to improve walking speed

“MEasy” comes with soles that are fitted with “MIZUNO ENERZY” a high enerzy return material, from the rearfoot to the forefoot. This was also tested on 12 testers, whose walking styles were measured. The tests confirmed that shoes fitted with “MIZUNO ENERZY” increase both walking speed and stride length. As a result, just by putting on “MEasy” and walking, users can anticipate improvements in both stride length and walking speed compared to conventional walking shoes.^*2

*2 Results of verification conducted by comparing “MEasy” with an older Mizuno product, “FS900”

“MEasy” was launched for sale in March 2024 and has been very well received by the customers who purchased it. It is a product that we want to see on customers across a wide range of ages, including expectant mothers and senior citizens who find it difficult to bend over.

Going forward, we will continue to tackle the challenge of bringing health and vitality to people through the provision of products that leverage its technologies and knowhow as a manufacturer of a wide range of sporting goods.