Nike

NIKE, THE REFERENCE BRAND OF SNEAKER

BILL BOWERMAN AND PHILIP H. KNIGHT, THE NIKE SUCCESS STORY

When we talk about Nike we think directly of a powerful and committed brand, but above all of a logo recognizable among thousands. In 1964 , while the sportswear and sports equipment market was largely dominated by German companies, Americans William J. Bill Bowerman And Philip H. Knight decided to join forces to found a sports brand capable of competing with the many European competitors. Philip Knight, an accountant by training and a long-distance runner, then teamed up with Bill Bowerman, coach of the Oregon athletics team, to create a less expensive brand, accessible to athletes. Nike will initially be called Blue Ribbon Sports . Bowerman serves in particular as a technical advisor within the firm and uses his position as a trainer to test products directly with athletes. In 1965 they are both joined by Jeff Johnson , full-time salesman, is the one who established the company's guideline, which is still relevant today: being as close as possible to the athlete and their needs. He will also be the author of the name Nike, directly inspired by the goddess Nike , symbolizing victory and determination.

NIKE BASKETBALL : WHEN SWOOSH BECOMES ICONIC

Nike is designed by athletes, for athletes. This is how the brand differentiates itself and makes its way to the level of its biggest competitors: Adidas or Puma . Its logo, the classic Swoosh, is considered one of the most striking and successful in marketing and communication. For the record, it was created by a graphic arts student, Carolyn Davidson , for the modest sum of $35 . It has now brought billions to the company!
At the origin of the greatest sneaker classics with silhouettes like the Air Force, the React Element or even the Air Max , the brand with the comma continues to reinvent itself for our greatest happiness.

CHOICE NIKE COLLABORATIONS: TRAVIS SCOTT, NOCTA, JACQUEMUS AND CORTEIZ

Nike is undoubtedly one of the most popular and influential companies of our time. The brand at Swoosh is today a symbol of creativity and performance, particularly thanks to its influential and talented ambassadors. Among them we can cite the world-famous rapper Travis Scott , the child of Houston continues to collaborate with the brand by revisiting emblematic models such as the Nike Air Force 1 or the Air Jordan 1 . His Canadian counterpart, Drake , went even further by creating the sub-label NOCTA at Nike. Through this subdivision, the artist from Toronto revealed the Hot Step Terra and the Glide in several variations.
Nike's strength lies in the plurality of its muses where all forms of art are represented with creators like Jacquemus , Sacai or the luxury house Tiffany . Lately, the Swoosh brand even collaborated with the British label which has made a lot of noise in recent months, Corteiz , around three new colors of the Air Max 95 . And this collaboration could continue in 2024 on the Air Trainer Huarache .
Nike is not just a brand offering sporting goods, it is an entity that influences sport, the world of sneakers and that of luxury. Between personalization program with Nike by You , immersive experience with Paris On Air , the American giant places its consumers at the center of its values. Nike knew how to be the first to undertake and continues to innovate to always remain the leader in its sector.

AIR JORDAN: HIS AIRNESS SHAKES THE WORLD OF SNEAKERS

In 1985 , the brand of Beaverton decides to sign an exclusive contract with a young rookie from the University of North Carolina , Michael Jordan . This will give rise to the largest collaboration between an athlete and an equipment manufacturer, the range Air Jordan . To bring the world of collaboration to life, Nike teams call on Peter Moore , an American footwear designer who designed the same year the Nike Dunk for the pack Be True to Your School intended to accompany the feet of players from the best university basketball teams such as those of Iowa , Syracuse or even Kentucky . There Air Jordan 1 Low and the Air Jordan 1 Low emerge. They stand out from the Dunk thanks to their taller and sharper silhouette, their logo Wings and their Air capsule hidden under the sole for comfort and revolutionary cushioning at the time. The colors O.G. launches such as the Chicago , the Bred or Neutral Gray will have a phenomenal success and are today true relics for collectors around the world. The collection is distinguished by the pace of model release. Indeed, for each season NBA , a model Air Jordan was revealed at the start of the year. In 1986 , Nike calls on Bruce Kilgore , creator of the iconic Nike Air Force 1 to design the Air Jordan 2 . The second signature model is more luxurious, entirely designed in Italy and adorned with premium leather. Unfortunately too expensive for the time, the model did not find its audience and was considered the most unloved Jordan. This small decline impacts Michael Jordan who wishes to leave Nike for another equipment manufacturer but the Beaverton brand calls on the man who will change the image of the firm forever, Tinker Hatfield . The latter mainly focuses on the player's requests for Chicago Bulls and seeking to provide it with a design that is both comfortable and qualitative. From this collaboration will be born the Air Jordan 3 in 1987 , a true aesthetic and technological revolution due to its apparent air bubble as on the Air Max 1 , sound Elephant Print which runs through the upper and the creation of the logo Jumpman . Coupled with MJ's exceptional technical prowess on the field and his new title of All-Star Game MVP , the sneaker will experience dazzling success and will succeed in convincing His Airness to stay at Nike. This marks the start of a long collaboration between the Jordan duo and Hatfield. The combination continued the following year with the Air Jordan 4 . From the end of 80 years until the beginning of 2000s , the player's signature silhouettes will continue to amaze his fans. Today thanks to the retro trend, several shoes from yesteryear are being brought up to date like the very popular Air Jordan 1 Mid or even designs in collaboration with artists like Virgil Abloh For Off-White .

NIKE DUNK & DUNK LOW

In the early 1980s, the basketball shoe market was largely dominated by Adidas and Converse. Adidas, thanks to its exclusive contracts with legendary players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , and Converse which almost had a monopoly on the market thanks to the All Star Chuck Taylor . It was in 1985 that Nike, initially known for its running models such as the Waffle Trainer and the Cortez , decided to tackle parquet floors. She called on Peter Moore, a footwear designer who designed the Nike Dunk . Its name comes from the spectacular movement where the player jumps high enough to perform a tap dance in order to bring the ball into the hoop of the basket without taking the ball out of his hand. The objective? Support players from the biggest university basketball teams. An exclusive contract is then signed between the equipment manufacturer and the following universities: Iowa , Syracuse , St. John , Kentucky , Georgetown , Michigan and UNLV . Seven pairs of Nike Dunk High are therefore presented within the Be True To Your School pack. Over the years, the skateboard community has reappropriated the model thanks to its flat sole and its grippy outsole which makes tricks easier without damaging the robust upper. Its accessibility makes it a must-have for all skateboard enthusiasts. Launched a few years later, the Nike Dunk Low enjoyed great popularity in the early 2000s thanks to the Nike SB editions in collaboration with Supreme or Jeff Staples . We will have to wait until 2020 to see a renaissance of the Dunk through popular and iconic entities like Skate Like a Girl or the artist Travis Scott.

AIR MAX

In 1986 , Tinker Hatfield, freshly graduated in architecture from the University of Oregon, joined the Nike team to design new models. It was during a trip to Paris that the young Tinker found his inspiration for the silhouette that would revolutionize the industry: the Air Max. The structure of the George Pompidou Center , its color code and its storefront made of transparent tubes will be the main inspirations for the legendary Air Max 1 OG White Red released in 1987 . We had to wait until 1990 to see the evolution of the range with the emblematic Air Max 90 and its Infrared color. Today the two models are the subject of very popular collaborations with the Patta store or the Nike Off White range.