Must Have: Customized Nikes

For diligent daily joggers tired of their generic New Balances snagged half-off at City Sports and willing to shell out a little more for their next workout outfit comes the brilliant new Nike Nylon Cortex ID. Admit that you’re running for the gratification of your own ego anyway and take that narcissism to a whole new level—imagine a pair of sneakers emblazoned with your own name! Customers go through a three-step questionnaire on the website (beginning with “Are you male or female” to ensure the correct gender normative color scheme for your moniker) and are privy to an instant preview of their newly christened sneaker, thanks to the site’s Java-intensive set-up. Nike’s tech-savvy also means, however, that would-be political protesters will be thwarted in their attempts to make a statement with their footwear. A recent chain email doing the rounds suggested that the Nike computers resolutely refused requests of “sweatshop,” citing the label as “inappropriate slang.” Ethical quandaries aside, it’s clear these puppies are going to prove irresistible for large swathes of trendoid fitness freaks, so get ‘em while they last—before any unfortunate and unexpected bouts of exercise-induced amnesia.