Hickies (the Shoelaces). Thoughts From Their Newest Fan.



80% of this post’s photos are of old pairs of trainers getting their shoelaces removed and inserted with Hickies (the shoelace alternative as opposed to the bruising of the neck) which is why I’ve opened with this completely unrelated image of a gathering of Chinese lanterns at the entrance of the Gateway food court. 

This second unrelated image is more on theme with the issue of comfort and practicality over the height of fashion.  I’m back wearing my ugly beige sun hat with its secure adjustable toggle straps around the crown and under the chin.  My chic panama hat flew off my head with the wind and over the fence onto a railway line last weekend and it pains me to think about replacing it this close to the end of summer.

I’ve also made my peace with where I sit in the world of ‘of the moment’ footwear.  I’m only in if it’s going to be minimal effort to slip them on and off.  Which means that I was this close to ditching my Stan Smiths and Sky Hi Dunks because their shoelaces overwhelmed me.  I’m also simultaneously too young and too old to be considering velcro closures as a  life choice right now.

All of which are reasons Hickies came into my life.

Hickies are the shoe lacing system that aims to provide both great fit and the guarantee that you’ll never have to (or want to) tie a shoelace again.  The closures are rubber-like, machine washable (on a cold setting) and come in a variety of colours for both children and adult sized shoes.  There’s even a crystal embellished range.  
The Hickies brand and company has an interesting backstory.  Hickies’ cofounders Gaston Frydlewski and Mariquel Waingarten are life and business partners who migrated from Argentina to the US to create their Brooklyn based company.  Initial funds were crowdsourced through Kickstarter with a goal of getting $25000 worth of funds from their 2012  campaign. They ended up wtih $159000 (I’m not the only one out there who hates shoelaces…) and presold 10,000 pairs of Hickies.  The company is now partnering with Adidas and other companies to release shoes already pre-fitted with Hickies laces.

A set of Hickies for adult shoes ordered from the brand’s website is $21.99 AUD.  Included are 14 laces (enough for one pair of shoes) and a comprehensive set of instructions on how to fit the laces according to the fit you might desire.  Children’s Hickies re $14.99 AUD a pair and best for children aged 4 – 8 years of age.

The videos and FAQ page on the web page are very informative and easy to follow so I won’t bore you by rehashing everything here.  My only observation is that it is as easy as it looks on the video to insert the laces but be prepared to spend a bit of time removing existing laces (you may even have to cut off ends to make it easier to delace).   I also don’t have terribly large fingers but did find it a bit fiddly to loop the ring side of each Hickie over the knobbed side to secure it.  You will lose a few minutes of your life doing this as well as some adjustment of the way you attached your Hickies after trying your delaced shoes on but the good news is that you’ll then never have to tie laces on those shoes again!!!!  Just ease on and just as easily ease them off.

These are a couple of photos comparing the look of my Stans with Hickies and without.  You do lose that retro, young at heart look and gain a bit of that athleisure, futuristic vibe.  Or perhaps I’m overthinking it.

But I don’t really care because I now no longer have to tie any laces on my Stans and there won’t be laces to trip over or get knotted up in my overflowing shoe cupboard.  Is this not winning at life?

My Sky Hi Dunks have also gone laceless.  They possibly look a bit Kanye but as I won’t be wearing shapeless greige sweats with them, there is little chance I’d ever be mistaken for him or KKW on the street as I stride out in these tie free beauties this autumn.

Another area of my life where laces have been a pain is with my running/gym shoes.  For some strange reason, I actually rather like tying up the laces of my trainers.  Perhaps it gets me into the zone for cardio and weights.  However.  I have this pair of Nikes that have ridiculously short laces.  Those stumpy double knotted bows I have to tie with them annoy me too.

So yes, they got Hickied too.  I found that doing a combination of regular fit closures distally and some looser fit ones more proximally have me the perfect fit.  Also, threading a few Hickies through that loop on the tongue of each trainer where the original shoe laces were threaded does help with providing a snug fit too.
I’ve run several times already this week with the Hickies in these Nikes and I’m impressed.  The firm fit remains consistent throughout the time you wear your shoes and it while it was a bit snug pushing my foot in, it was easier sliding them out.  The fit was as good as with conventional shoelaces.
My verdict is that Hickies were worth the dollars for me.  I ended up getting two free adult pairs with my order as well as a discount.  Delivery was prompt and I’ve had no issues with product quality yet.  It’s been money well spent in ‘upgrading’ my casual shoes from last winter so that I’ll be more inclined to wear them this year rather than cave and buy new shoes with no laces.
I’m hoping to buy a few pairs for Master SSG’s weekend shoes as he’s growing out of the velcro and elasticated laces sizes.

Have you tried Hickies?

If you have any further questions, add them in ‘comments’.


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