How did a small time importer of Japanese shoes in the early sixties become one of the largest sportswear manufacturers in the world? Its and interesting story as it comes from some very humble beginnings. It all started with a Graduate of business studies called Philip H. Knight who had some big ambitions. Even if he wasnt initially a designer his business know how later proved to be the making of the biggest sportswear company in the world.
It all started when Phillip was on one of his many trips to Japan. It was while sightseeing that he noticed the many innovations in the Japanese sports shoes compared to the brands he was used to seeing from Germany. He decided he could sell these shoes back in America and ordered a batch of 200, this was the companys first order.
He began by selling the shoes to customers at the many sports events he attended. However he was by no means rich yet and had to keep the shoes in his parents spare room. At this point the company didnt actually make or design any of the sneakers it sold. However this was to change drastically when William Bowerman an old friend joined the company.
It was William who came up with the name Nike for the company, saying that it had come to him in a dream late one night. It was also Bowerman who designed the companys first shoe. He did this with the slightly unusual method of pouring liquid rubber into the family waffle iron! He was proud of the way the sneakers had been developed, later deciding to call his first pair the Waffle sole.
The Waffle Sole really took off in the 70s with the 1972 Olympic Games. The shoe proved to be a revelation with many sportsmen and women. Especially distance runners who said that the sneaker was much more comfortable than its rivals after long runs.
The logo of Nike and probably the most famous thing about the company was actually created by a college student called Miss Davidson. Its simplicity and iconic curve has helped make Nike recognisable all over the world. However she was only paid thirty five dollars to make the logo in 1972.
The 1970s was one of the most exciting time for sneaker design as Nike unveiled the Air Sole. It was designed by a Jet engineer more used to wing design but this give him a crucial understanding of how air flow worked. It allowed him to design a bubble of air in the heel of the shoe that provided comfort and bounce like no other pair of sneakers. The Air sole has proved incredibly popular both from a design and a functionality point of view. It is still seen in many of Nikes Sneakers today such as the Nike Shox and Nike Air 95 which after 15 years is still selling very well. Nike has also reduced the production cost for the air sole making it much cheaper to manufacture.
One of the biggest events in the history on the Nike sportswear company has to be when they signed the Basketball legend Michael Jordan to endorse their shoes. Nike developed a special pair of shoes called the Air Jordans just for him, however it did cause some controversy as they did not match the strict color codes of the NBA.
Every time Michael wore the special sneakers on the court he was fined five thousand dollars by the NBA. Nike paid the fine for Michael and if anything it only made the brand even more famous. Air Jordans became the most sought after basketball shoes on the planet and number one Christmas present request with many children in the 80s.
As you can see it wasnt a simple road to success for Nike or even a conventional one. It was also a team effort between a young business entrepreneur and a sports fanatic, but you could say it all started with a bored engineer who looked at his waffle iron and decided to just do it. - 15683
It all started when Phillip was on one of his many trips to Japan. It was while sightseeing that he noticed the many innovations in the Japanese sports shoes compared to the brands he was used to seeing from Germany. He decided he could sell these shoes back in America and ordered a batch of 200, this was the companys first order.
He began by selling the shoes to customers at the many sports events he attended. However he was by no means rich yet and had to keep the shoes in his parents spare room. At this point the company didnt actually make or design any of the sneakers it sold. However this was to change drastically when William Bowerman an old friend joined the company.
It was William who came up with the name Nike for the company, saying that it had come to him in a dream late one night. It was also Bowerman who designed the companys first shoe. He did this with the slightly unusual method of pouring liquid rubber into the family waffle iron! He was proud of the way the sneakers had been developed, later deciding to call his first pair the Waffle sole.
The Waffle Sole really took off in the 70s with the 1972 Olympic Games. The shoe proved to be a revelation with many sportsmen and women. Especially distance runners who said that the sneaker was much more comfortable than its rivals after long runs.
The logo of Nike and probably the most famous thing about the company was actually created by a college student called Miss Davidson. Its simplicity and iconic curve has helped make Nike recognisable all over the world. However she was only paid thirty five dollars to make the logo in 1972.
The 1970s was one of the most exciting time for sneaker design as Nike unveiled the Air Sole. It was designed by a Jet engineer more used to wing design but this give him a crucial understanding of how air flow worked. It allowed him to design a bubble of air in the heel of the shoe that provided comfort and bounce like no other pair of sneakers. The Air sole has proved incredibly popular both from a design and a functionality point of view. It is still seen in many of Nikes Sneakers today such as the Nike Shox and Nike Air 95 which after 15 years is still selling very well. Nike has also reduced the production cost for the air sole making it much cheaper to manufacture.
One of the biggest events in the history on the Nike sportswear company has to be when they signed the Basketball legend Michael Jordan to endorse their shoes. Nike developed a special pair of shoes called the Air Jordans just for him, however it did cause some controversy as they did not match the strict color codes of the NBA.
Every time Michael wore the special sneakers on the court he was fined five thousand dollars by the NBA. Nike paid the fine for Michael and if anything it only made the brand even more famous. Air Jordans became the most sought after basketball shoes on the planet and number one Christmas present request with many children in the 80s.
As you can see it wasnt a simple road to success for Nike or even a conventional one. It was also a team effort between a young business entrepreneur and a sports fanatic, but you could say it all started with a bored engineer who looked at his waffle iron and decided to just do it. - 15683
About the Author:
About us : Kicksgear is a great new site providing information on Cheap nike shox and the latest bulletins on the Cheap Air Jordans which are also coming on to the market
