Nike's definition of an athlete is every person who has a body – so in other words everyone in the world is an athlete. Their mission is to provide inspiration and innovation to each athlete worldwide through creative footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for men, women and children. Nike is recognised internationally for their iconic ‘swoosh’ logo alongside their tagline 'Just do it'.
Nike's quest began with Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight two individuals who questioned the quality and endurance of running shoes in the 1950s. Knight's competitive streak landed him a place as distributor of Tiger running shoes in the United States. Sending his first sample to Bowerman hoping to generate a sale was returned with an offer of a partnership.
Unknown at the time to Knight, Bowerman was constantly experimenting with ways to enhance running shoes and began cobbling his own for his students as a respected track and field coach at the University of Oregon. Ignored by established footwear manufacturers in his attempt to present innovative ideas led to the collaboration with Knight to form Blue Ribbon Sports later rebranded to Nike in 1971.
Their revolutionary ideas to manufacture the most lightweight and comfortable running shoes in the industry remains at the core of the innovative brand. Taking inspiration from past inventions such as the Nike Shox a trainer with a built in cushioning system and of course the iconic Nike Air technology invented in 1979; has led today to ground-breaking designs such as the HyperVenom and the Nike Pro Combat Training Top.
From their track running beginnings, Nike now supports a calibre of sports from football to basketball allowing for athletes to build their own shoes considering qualities such as cushioning for comfort and flexibility. NikeiD is an efficient way to customize a pair of running shoes catered specifically for individuals needs. The sportswear brand truly cares about motivating and inspiring athletes by finding new ways to track ability and achievements. Nike+ Fuelband has launched many devices to support progression in training.