Nike: If You Have a Body, You Are an Athlete
A passion for innovation, an idea to change the athletic industry and a desire to give the athletes the best chance they can to win, was the motivation behind the development of the iconic brand we know today. Nike.
Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight, who together helped shape the lives and performance of so many people around the world, brought Nike to life. We delve into Nike’s history and philosophy that goes far beyond the product itself.
“If you have a body, you are an athlete.”– Bill Bowerman.
The innovators meet.
During the 1950s, Bowerman was a nationally respected track and field coach at the University of Oregon. A constant innovator, Bowerman was always looking to improve the performance of the athletes he trained. Bowerman unsuccessfully presented his ideas to the shoe manufacturers as a result he began cobbling shoes for his athletes directly.
Knight was a talented middle-distance runner from Portland. After finding himself distributor of Tiger running shoes in the United States, Knight approached Bowerman with the intention to make a sale. Instead of selling shoes to Bowerman, the track and field coach surprised Knight and offered to partner with him.
A partnership to last.
The duo became official partners under the name Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964. The venture began with Knight selling shoes out of the boot of his Plymouth Valiant, while Bowerman focused on the design aspects. Bowerman would pull the Tiger shoes apart to their skeleton and focus on how he could try to improve their design.
It wasn’t until 1971 that they went out on their own. Knight and Bowerman were ready to make the jump from being footwear distributors to designing and manufacturing their own brand of athletic shoes. The name Nike was created and attributed to Bowerman’s designs. A brand mark was selected, and the iconic Swoosh was born.
“Just do it”. A culture.
A key milestone for the brand was the development of the Nike Air technology, which was launched in 1979. The Nike Air style remains a popular choice for the brand. This was also the era when the tagline, “Just do it” first came into use. These – along with other iconic Nike products and campaigns – grew Nike’s presence beyond the athletic world and have come to form a place in the history of popular culture.
Over the years, Nike has continued to grow filtering from sport-focused endeavours into cultural and lifestyle ones. A unique combination of technology and style, Nike offers the consumer an option that is clear balance between technology and creativity. Nike’s creations are brought to life, by looking straight to the athlete and identifying what they need to get out of a product.
“Sports is like rock ‘n’ roll. Both are dominant cultural forces, both speak an international language, and both are all about emotions.”– Phil Knight.
—
