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by Brandon Richard
At the center of Nike's legal battle with its three former designers, Michael Jackson's forays into footwear design extend as far back as the 80s.
Jackson's 1987 video for Smooth Criminal famously featured choreography in which the pop icon and his backup dancers were seen leaning at a 45-degree angle, creating the illusion of defying gravity. The effect, however, was achieved with the strategic placement of wires.
Always forward-thinking, Jackson wanted to be able to replicate the move on stage while on tour. To do so, he and two co-inventors developed a special shoe, which attached to the stage with a special peg that raised through the floor into a slot in the heel. With the heel fixed and a little upper and lower body strength, the performer could lean forward and maintain the position.
Jackson and his co-inventors were granted a U.S. patent for the anti-gravity shoe in 1993. After a performance mishap in 1996, the patented design was reworked.
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