Innovation is art

In January 2023, Advanced Innovation teammates answered a simple brief: to breathe new life into scraps found in the shred bins around the LeBron James Innovation Center. This character, Ode to Rooney, is modeled after the maker's dog. 

Innovators get scrappy

Innovators raided the shred bins of the LeBron James Innovation Center and discovered a smorgasbord of stunning materials, random bits, bobs and hidden gems. Ohana the Sea Turtle is one of more than 75 characters created through this exercise.

Ohana the Sea Turtle

Gail is part of a collection of characters that embody how inspiration and innovation can come from anywhere – a new material or new method of making, a new goal or challenge, a trusted colleague or a furry friend.

Gail

Innovators put on their storyteller hats, giving both wisdom and personality to their characters. Ryuu is a river dragon, born in the frigid Spring runoff of the Deschutes River. A fierce warrior, Ryuu protects the natural world by consuming waste and diverting it from our water.

Ryuu

Innovators are inspired by the world around them. From materials to colors, people and places—one thing remains constant: the athlete. Making athletes* better and making the world better for athletes* is what drives us. *If you have a body, you are an athlete.

See into the mind of an innovator

This experiment features a 3D-printed tooling system. The design’s respective offsets, one at the toe and one at the heel, play with modifying the sensation of running via the athlete’s gate. This prototype was featured in a Nike exhibition at Milan Design Week 2016.

“3D Nest” by Cal Peterson, Computational Designer

Research by the Nike Sport Research Lab showed that pressure on the foot during running makes it expand and contract lengthwise (from heel to toe) and widthwise (across the arch). Nike Free’s deep flex grooves let feet flex, splay and move the way they want.

Free your mind

Designers undertook deep cultural immersions to ensure the Nike Football 2020 kits resonated with each federation. In the lab, Nike captured data on more than 300 footballers. 4D visualization tools were used to bring the product to life before creating samples.

National pride

Sarah Reinertsen has worked with Nike since 2006, first as an athlete and then as a member of Nike Innovation, on a solution for prosthetic outsole needs. The first prototype was made from a Nike Free 5.0 Trail outsole, which was adhered to a sleeve that would slide onto the blade.

Heart and sole

Space Hippie, Nike’s exploratory footwear collection constructed with “space junk”—transformed factory and post-consumer waste—marries sustainable practices and radical design. Here is an interpretation of how one person’s trash is another person’s inspiration.

Talking trash

In 2001, before Nike Free existed, innovators in the then newly established Innovation Kitchen were doing experiments centering around natural motion. These prototypes leveraged a mesh bootie with silicon pods affixed to the sole.

Simpler things

This experiment for Milan’s Design Week 2016 was inspired by an architectural space frame, transforming the traditionally rigid structure into a pliable 3D-printed outsole. Based on a pressure map of the foot, it flexes and expands upon impact.

“3D Grown” by Nikita Troufanov, Innovation Designer

Nike partnered with a medical supply company to make this PreCool Vest for the Beijing Olympics. The vest was made from recycled Nike Air soles and the felt carry case, which helped keep the vest cold, was comprised of recycled men’s suits.

Vested interest

This design places a mop around the shoe to form a flamboyant cushioning system. It also highlights the risk-taking and out-of-the-box creativity that innovators engage in daily.

“Mop” by Matt Holmes, VP of Innovation Footwear Design

This collage shows the progression of Flywire construction from a model used as inspiration to demonstrate the minimal requirements of footwear, to its debut at the 2008 Olympic Games. This Hyperdunk prototype was created in 2006 during the Flywire development phase.

Time capsule

Scientifically informed and computationally designed outsole traction can help athletes maximize their performance and reduce the risk of injury. It can also make a stunning tapestry.

Making traction

The Nike GO FlyEase is intuitive—easy on, easy off—and evidence of how design, innovation and engineering combine to create a hands-free shoe.