The first-ever exhibition dedicated to the world’s largest sports brand, Nike, has opened its doors. The exhibition was initiated by Mateo Kries (Director of the museum) and produced by the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein (Germany) and curated by Glenn Adamson. In the year of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, and the European Football Championship in Germany, the exhibition aims to highlight the innovative role played by sport in both design and social dynamics, shedding light on the almost mythical devotion that popular culture and social media have for sneakers and sportswear. For the first time, the exhibition «Nike: Form Follows Motion» offers a glimpse behind the scenes of this unique design laboratory, while also delving into Nike’s interest in technological innovations and the changes taking place in society. Most of the exhibited works come from the Department of Nike Archives (DNA), the company’s own archive, which houses over 200,000 objects. A careful selection of them is made available to the public for the first time, who will be able to admire authentic rarities, unique pieces, and even experimental prototypes of iconic sneaker models such as the Waffle Trainer, Air Force One and Shox.

Vitra Design Museum © Vitra Design Museum, photo: Norbert Miguletz

It was 1972 when the American graphic designer Carolyn Davidson developed the Swoosh (the mustache) for the company founders Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman, today one of the most recognizable logos in the world and which has remained unchanged for decades. The incredible intuition of the development of one of the first abstract logos (it does not derive from any image or word). The simple and effective representation of movement and speed: an example of design perfection. Over the years, the sports brand has become a leader on the market and, today, it is the largest clothing company in the world with an annual turnover that exceeds 50 billion dollars. But Nike’s success is not just a matter of numbers, but revolves around a real design culture. The path of the brand’s history is told in the exhibition through four thematic sections.

Drawing of the original Swoosh Design, Carolyn Davidson, 1972© Nike, Inc.

The first, “TRACK”, features the oldest memorabilia in the Nike archive. The company was founded by Phil Knight, an active runner in college, and Bill Bowerman, his former coach. Their earliest employees, and most of their customers, were actually amateur athletes and students who loved running and some marketers. The entire process from production to promotion was streamlined and hands-on, with representatives taking the shoes out and about to test them out. It was during this formative period that Nike established one of its key design principles: always listen to the voice of the athletes. In this part of the exhibit, you can learn about the brand’s earliest days, starting with the Waffle sole prototype made in co-founder Bill Bowerman’s kitchen, or the Tigerbelles, a team of black female athletes from Tennessee State University during the civil rights era in the United States.

Serena Williams, US Open, New York, 2004 © Getty Images, photo: Clive Brunskill

The second section, “AIR” is dedicated to the 80s, when Nike literally took flight. Thanks to partnerships with sports stars such as Michael Jordan, Serena Williams and LeBron James, the company conquered a leading role of excellence and avant-garde in popular culture. At the same time, it broadened its horizons, from its origins in athletics to new disciplines, such as basketball, and then moved on to tennis, football, skateboarding, and many others. From now on, its look was inextricably linked to pop culture and the philosophy of street style. Classics such as the Air Force 1 and the Air Jordan stood out in television commercials, especially those created by Wieden + Kennedy, an advertising studio in Portland. At the same time, the company invested in a new technology: pressurized gas capsules capable of cushioning without weighing it down. Initially, this discovery remained hidden inside the soles of shoes, until Nike Air was made visible in 1987 with the Air Max, marking the beginning of a new era in the company’s design history. The exhibition traces the fascinating evolution of the Air sole through numerous artifacts that illustrate the entire development process, including prototype pads and test equipment invented by engineer Frank Rudy.

Early Mechanical Shox Prototype, 1981© Nike, Inc.

The third section, “SENSATION”, illustrates some of the cornerstones of Nike design research and development. Here we delve into the heart of the Nike Sport Research Lab, one of the largest and most advanced facilities in the world in the field of studying the human body in motion. Since the 1990s, technical research has focused its efforts on increasing athletic potential: this is how products such as Nike Free, which simulate the sensation of running barefoot, and Vaporfly, developed to try to break the two-hour barrier in the marathon, were born. Furthermore, the exhibition highlights the relevance that innovative materials, such as Flyknit, can have on both results and sustainability. We then move on to explore Nike’s current efforts aimed at reducing its climate impact by focusing on materials from ethically sustainable sources and circular production techniques. Furthermore, the research carried out by the company in the field of plastic reuse is also illustrated: an example is Nike Grind, a granulate of recycled objects used for a wide variety of uses. It will be possible to retrace all the work done: from the first recycling projects at the beginning of the new millennium up to today’s initiatives.

3D grown shoe from the experimental series »The Nature of Motion«, Nikita Troufanov, 2016 © Nike, Inc.

The fourth section, “RELATION” is dedicated to collaborations between Nike and external designers, athletes and its public. The exhibition displays fifty suggestive, sometimes unconventional, footwear that have marked the history of the company. The contribution of illustrious designers is highlighted, both internal to the company such as Diane Katz, Tinker Hatfield, and Eric Avar, and external collaborators, with names of the caliber of Marc Newson, Comme des Garçons, and Virgil Abloh. Some rarities, never seen before, such as a special edition of Air Force 1 produced to accompany the 2002 album by the American rapper Nelly (“Nellyville”) and the 1982 sneakers for Elton John and Donna Summer. This exhibition area highlights the symbiosis between design and sport, whose aim has never been to stop at the mere result. Rather, it is about giving voice to the ideals of the human body, well-being, diversity, equality and, ultimately, the human instinct to overcome one’s limits and discover new territories. The exhibition will be accompanied by a busy program of events and workshops dedicated to sport and design. After the premiere at the Vitra Design Museum, the traveling exhibition will visit other international museums.

Antonella Zaccuri

Info:

Nike: Form Follows Motion
21/09/2024 – 4/05/2025
Vitra Design Museum
Weil am Rhein (Germania)
www.vitra.com/it-it/campus/vitra-design-museum

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