Its hard to believe that a someone who just graduated from business school and who had no previous knowledge of engineering or design would later found the biggest sportswear company in the world. It started when Philip Knight from Portland Oregon made his first trip to Japan in the early sixties. One of the first things he noticed was the way the made sneakers and how much more advanced they were compared to the ones he wore back home.
After graduating Phillip who was a keen runner and sportsman was on one of his regular trips to Japan. Whilst there he realised that the technology used to make many Japanese shoes was way ahead of similar brands from the US and Europe. It was this that prompted him to decide to import these shoes back into the US.
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.
William Bowerman was Philips track coach from College and whilst he was fanatical about sport and particularly running he was also an engineer and was constantly looking for ways to improve athletes performance. One of his most famous experiments was to use rubber which had been liquidised and pour it into a waffle iron that he had lying around the house to create a sole for his prototype.
William was delighted with his new shoes and decided to call them the waffle sole after how they were first made. Despite the unusual name they where a big hit at the 1972 Olympics with many of the top runners remarking how much more comfortable they were to wear than the older resin sneakers. From the 70s Nike became a dominate force at the Olympics sponsoring most of the top athletes.
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.
Nike really started to push the boundaries of what could be done in the 70s with the invention of an air heel which allowed the sneakers to give even more spring. The sole was actually designed by a former airplane designer who wanted to give the shoes the best cushion effect possible. The design is still seen in the Nike Shox of today.
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. - 15438
After graduating Phillip who was a keen runner and sportsman was on one of his regular trips to Japan. Whilst there he realised that the technology used to make many Japanese shoes was way ahead of similar brands from the US and Europe. It was this that prompted him to decide to import these shoes back into the US.
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.
William Bowerman was Philips track coach from College and whilst he was fanatical about sport and particularly running he was also an engineer and was constantly looking for ways to improve athletes performance. One of his most famous experiments was to use rubber which had been liquidised and pour it into a waffle iron that he had lying around the house to create a sole for his prototype.
William was delighted with his new shoes and decided to call them the waffle sole after how they were first made. Despite the unusual name they where a big hit at the 1972 Olympics with many of the top runners remarking how much more comfortable they were to wear than the older resin sneakers. From the 70s Nike became a dominate force at the Olympics sponsoring most of the top athletes.
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.
Nike really started to push the boundaries of what could be done in the 70s with the invention of an air heel which allowed the sneakers to give even more spring. The sole was actually designed by a former airplane designer who wanted to give the shoes the best cushion effect possible. The design is still seen in the Nike Shox of today.
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. - 15438
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