Over the last five decades, Nike has made waves with game-changing design, innovative tech and iconic trainers. To celebrate half a century, we’re linking up to check out the archives, celebrate their past and look ahead to the future…
Throwback to ‘72
Back in May, 1972, with a dream, love for sports and stacks of ambition…Nike was born. The rest as Phil Knight says…is history.
From Day One, everything Nike did was to unleash the potential of athletes around the world. To allow people to do things they didn’t even know they could. Through fresh design, game-changing innovation and more, Nike’s led the way in both sports and fashion, showing no signs of slowing down.
Changing the Game
Over the last half a century, Nike’s been shaping sport and streetwear. From Bill Bowerman pouring rubber into his wife’s waffle iron to create the first waffle sole, to modern tech like FlyEase, Dri-FIT and more, they’re constantly innovating to bring us a better look and better comfort.
In celebration of 50 years, we’re takin’ a look back at some of the highlights!
The ‘70s saw Nike drop their first trainer to sport the legendary Swoosh logo. The Cortez, Blazer, Tailwind and more all made their debut across the court and the track. Nike’s Air tech originated with the release of the Tailwind; the first running shoe to include air pockets in its outsole. This continued into the ‘80s with the drop of the now-iconic Air Force 1 in ’82. Fast forward to 1987 and Nike put Air cushioning on show for the first time with the Air Max 1.
Throughout the ‘90s, the brand continued to drop legendary silhouettes, with Tinker Hatfield designing the Air Max 90, Sergio Lozano thinkin’ up the 95 and Christian Tresser taking on the 97.
Since the turn of the century, Nike’s hasn’t slowed down, with stacks of new tech hitting their line-up. From Flyknit and React tech bringin’ new levels of comfort to their running line, to bigger and better iterations of visible Air…
The Nike Anniversary Duffle Bag
The celebrations don’t stop there. Two icons have collided and the iconic JD duffle bag has been given the Nike treatment!
We’ve linked up with self-taught Manchester illustrator and sneaker enthusiast, SwooshDood (@SwooshDood) who has created an all-new duffle bag that you can pick up in selected stores from the 23.05.22.
Stores included are
Oxford Street
Manchester Arndale
Liverpool
Stratford
West One
Metro Centre
Merryhill
Leeds
Dublin
Berlin
Paris
Cologne
Lyon
Not only sporting a limited-edition design, the re-designed duffle puts you in the design seat and gives you the chance to win!
All you gotta’ do is design your own sneakers and submit it for the chance to win a pair of Nike 50th Anniversary x JD custom kicks, a Nike Apple Watch and €250 to spend on Nike at JD.
Got a bag? Here’s how you can enter…
1. Draw your own custom sneakers on the dedicated space on bag – the more creative the better!
2. Scan the QR code
3. On the link, enter your deets and upload a snap of your design
4. Submit to be in with a chance to win a custom pair of kicks, a Nike Apple Watch and €250 to spend on Nike at JD
Head to one of the stores above from 23.05.22 to pick one up! Just click the link for the store address.
Swoosh on Snapchat
Got Snapchat? We’ve teamed up with Nike to drop not one, but two new lenses!
First up, you can see Nike’s archives come to life with our In-Store Footwear lens.
Find the Snapcode in selected stores, then take a walk through Nike’s trainer history. Covering five of their most iconic silhouettes, expect key facts, old-school images and loads more.
Not stopping there, the Styleguide Snapchat lens is coming soon and it’s your chance to sit in the creative seat. Once it drops, try out the lens, create the ultimate mood board, then shop the looks direct from Snapchat!
Coming soon, stay tuned for deets – including how you can win BIG! 👀
