An electronic commerce initiative starting Monday will let shoe buyers stitch their own name instead of Michael Jordan's next to the swoosh on their next pair of Nikes. Then they can have a name or nickname, up to eight letters, stitched on the shoe. A filter will prohibit buyers from inscribing an obscenity or a name that violates copyright or trademark laws on the shoe, NikeID's Mark Allen says.
People submit their product designs all the time.
This just puts the tools right in their hands. The initiative is a step toward broader customization of athletic shoes at Nike, which eventually hopes its customers can use the Net to size their foot and custom-fit a shoe to a unique foot size. The personalized shoe initiative, dubbed NikeID, is starting small, with Nike selling up to 400 pairs per day. The shoes will be manufactured in China and Korea and delivered to customers in two to three weeks, Nike says. It's a very cool idea, and I think people are going to enjoy it.