Nike’s Top-Secret Design Vault Is Cracked Open For All To Admire

Left: Early Mechanical Shox Prototype, 1981 © Nike, Inc. Right: Drawing of the original Swoosh Design, Carolyn Davidson, 1972 © Nike, Inc. Images via Vitra Design Museum

For the first time ever, Nike’s closely guarded design archives have sprinted into the spotlight. The sporting giant’s undisclosed location that houses the Department of Nike Archives (DNA) recently opened to outsiders for the first time, giving a group of curators the opportunity to sift through 200,000 rare artifacts tracking decades of design innovation for a new exhibition on the brand’s rich design history.

View into the Department of Nike Archives (DNA), Beaverton, Oregon, 2024 © Nike, Inc., photo: Alastair Philip Wiper. Image via Vitra Design Museum

The Vitra Design Museum in Rhein, Germany, is set to host Nike: Form Follows Motion, which brings these long-protected treasures to the public’s eye. Running from September 21, 2024, through May 2025, the showcase offers an intimate glimpse into Nike’s evolution, from its 1964 beginnings to its current position as the world’s most renowned sporting company. The timing of the exhibition coincides with major sporting events like the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games in Paris and the European Football Championship in Germany.

Image © Vitra Design Museum, graphic design: Daniel Streat, Visual Fields

Visitors can expect to see everything from the original sketch of the iconic swoosh logo to experimental prototypes that never made it to production. Curated by Glenn Adamson, the retrospective explores how Nike has shaped—and been shaped by—the broader world of sports and culture.

Moon Shoe, Handmade by Bill Bowerman as one of the first shoes with Nike’s waffle sole, 1972. Image via Vitra Design Museum

Drawing of the original Swoosh Design, Carolyn Davidson, 1972 © Nike, Inc. Image via Vitra Design Museum

Sharing his thoughts on the project, Mateo Kries, director of the Vitra Design Museum, notes, “When we approached Nike, we learned more about their incredible design archive—a huge treasure that had never been presented in an exhibition. That was how the idea of this exhibition was born.”

Kries continues: “The show offers a unique opportunity to focus on design through the lens of a single brand, and to display fascinating objects that illustrate the process of design development—some of which have never been shown before.”

Early Mechanical Shox Prototype, 1981 © Nike, Inc. Image via Vitra Design Museum

Phil Knight and Bill Giampetro at the first Nike plant in Exeter (USA), 1974 © Nike, Inc. Image via Vitra Design Museum

For those unable to make the trip to Germany, a companion book co-edited by Adamson, also titled Nike: Form Follows Motion, will be released on December 3. Like the exhibition, it looks beyond Nike’s commercial success to examine its role in cutting-edge innovation.

Sketch of Air Max, Tinker Hatfield, 1986 © Nike, Inc. Image via Vitra Design Museum

Hot Waffles for Sale poster, featuring Nike Waffle Trainers, 1978 © Nike, Inc. Image via Vitra Design Museum

3D grown shoe from the experimental series The Nature of Motion, Nikita Troufanov, 2016 © Nike, Inc. Image via Vitra Design Museum

VaporMax Air Bag, 2016 © Nike, Inc. Image via Vitra Design Museum

Nike Premier x Comme des Garçons, 2021 © Vitra Design Museum, photo: Unruh Jones. Image via Vitra Design Museum

Tabletop covered with objects from Frank Rudy who invented the Air Technology, Department of Nike Archives (DNA), Beaverton, Oregon, 2024 © Nike, Inc., photo: Alastair Philip Wiper. Image via Vitra Design Museum

Various lasts, jigs, silicon pads and fixtures, Advanced Product Creation Center (APCC), Beaverton, Oregon, 2024 © Nike, Inc., photo: Alastair Philip Wiper. Image via Vitra Design Museum

Bodysuit, LeBron James Innovation Center, Beaverton, Oregon, 2024 © Nike, Inc., photo: Alastair Philip Wiper. Image via Vitra Design Museum

Rolling stacks, Department of Nike Archives (DNA), Beaverton, Oregon, 2024 © Nike, Inc., photo: Alastair Philip Wiper. Image via Vitra Design Museum

Documents wait to be refiled at the Department of Nike Archives (DNA), Beaverton, Oregon, 2024 © Nike, Inc., photo: Alastair Philip Wiper. Image via Vitra Design Museum

[via Fast Company and Hypebeast, images via Vitra Design Museum [for press use])