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London Shoppers Can Now Design Their Own Nikes in Augmented Reality

A person interacting with a digital display showcasing various styles of sneakers.

Nike has launched an augmented reality design tool at its Niketown store in London that lets shoppers customize sneakers and see their designs on a real product.

At the NIKEiD Direct Studio, shoppers can choose color and material selections on an enclosed tablet and see their design projected immediately on an all-white Air Force 1 snekaer. Once satisfied with the design, the customer's design is sent to a NIKEiD factory for production.

The experience is made possible with augmented video mapping technology developed by Paris-based Smart Pixels. Using a smart projector, the system recognizes the shape and size of the object in front of it and can track its movement. It then projects colors or images, such as the splatter design seen in the image above, onto the object.

Alas, the technology is only available at the London location. We've reached out to Nike to inquire whether they plan to deploy the tool at other stores. In the meantime, the rest of the world can customize their own pair of Air Force 1 iD sneakers online. Three color palettes, Essential, Winterized, and NBA, are available, with more styles arriving in later seasons.

In one American teenager's opinion (my daughter, who is definitely cooler than me), the AR design tool is "fye," which supposedly means "cool" (as in, "those kicks are fye/fire"). So, there you go.

Cover image via Nike

Apple's iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 updates are packed with new features, and you can try them before almost everyone else. First, check Gadget Hacks' list of supported iPhone and iPad models, then follow the step-by-step guide to install the iOS/iPadOS 26 beta — no paid developer account required.

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