Since its inception in the 1960s, Nike has been the hallmark of change in the footwear industry. Its evolution has led to the formation of the best sports shoes and sneakers for athletes and stylists. Moreover, their evolution has set a benchmark for companies like New Balance and others to follow.
In the next section, let’s learn more about it.
Evolution Of Nike’s Size 16 Shoe
Since its inception, Nike has undergone a series of changes, which have led to the creation of some of the best shoe brands in the world, such as Jordans and AIR.
The journey from Blue Ribbon Sports to Nike is one of the best stories of modern times. Its innovation and creativity have made sports and style intertwined. Not to mention, they were the first ones to make size 16 shoes. It ensures that they can even wear and enhance your style quotient.
Here is the evolution of Nike, the biggest sports brand:
The Beginnings
Nike, or Blue Ribbon Sports, began in 1964 when Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman decided to sell Tiger shoes in the USA. Back then, the Tigers were the best Japanese sneaker brand. Therefore, when Phil visited Japan, he wanted to set up a business for Tigers in the USA. They did a 50-50 deal with the Tigers and began selling their shoes, which later became widely popular, especially among athletes who also sought products for basketball dribbling drills and other performance-enhancing sports gear.
In 1965, Bowerman proposed a new design for the Tigers. The style had a:
- Cushioned inner sole
- Soft sponge rubber on the forefoot
- Hard sponge rubber in the middle
- Firm rubber outsole
The design became a great success in the USA and Japan, so it was dubbed Tiger Cortez. That caused conflict between the two companies, consequently leading to Nike’s formation.
Nike: The Sports Brand
In 1971, the Nike brand officially came into existence. After the split between Nike and Tiger, Nike began to sell their own shoes. The brand started by selling Moon shoes and T-shirts, which sports people wore later.
Also, in 1974, Nike made a waffle outsole, which became a huge hit and became central to its popularity. Hence, Nike became the best training shoe company in the world. Later, in 1979, they introduced Tailwind, including a patented Air-Sole cushioning system. The shoe showed the results of Nike’s investment in research labs.
Micheal Jordan And BasketBall Era
In 1982, Nike released basketball shoes to compete with brands like Converse and Adidas. Later, in 1984, the Jordans came after the partnership with Micheal Jordan. The sales of Jordans quickly rose to 170 million USD in a year.
It was when Nike invested in making big shoes and adding Air cushioning to them. That’s when they started to enhance their sales and innovate better shoes for athletes. Moreover, in the 1996 Olympics, Nike launched its classic edition, golden shoes with spikes for athletes like Carl Lewis.
Innovation And 21st Century
The 2000s were different for Nike, as it highlighted their investment in research, which led to the release of new cushioning technology. It changed the comfort level of training shoes and enabled athletes to reach the highest level of performance. In 2005, Nike refined its shoes to enhance leg strengthening like that of barefoot running.
In 2006. Nike collaborated with Apple to launch Nike +. The shoe had sensors, which tracked the data of athletes and enabled them to view it for better performance. Later, in the 2008 Olympics, Nike released the lightest shoe ever to help athletes compete at the highest level with ease.
Nike Is The Revolution
In the end, we can conclude by saying Nike has been constantly investing in their shoe technology. Every year, their innovation started to impact the performance of athletes. Besides, they become the style quotient of modern youth, especially after the acquisition of Converse.
Lastly, their campaigns like Just Do It, Bo Knows, Revolution, and so on have impacted the company’s popularity. Eventually, it led to a partnership with players like Kobe, Ronaldo, Neymar, Woods, Nadal, etc. All of them have led Nike to custom shoes to cater to their success and the company’s.
FAQs
Here are a few frequently asked questions:
What were the first Nike shoes?
Moon shoes were the first shoes made by Nike.
Who is the CEO of Nike?
John Donahoe is the CEO of Nike.
What is special about Nike shoes?
They are super comfortable and offer impact protection.
