When the most decorated 100-metre sprinter ever stepped to the line for a final time, she told herself what she knew: that she was prepared, powerful and this race was hers—for her. The next handful of seconds were to honour everything that had brought her to this moment.Green, yellow and black hair whipping behind her—a self-proclaimed "daughter of the soil", who chose to wear the colours of her nation's flag for her final finish—gold-hued&nbsp;nails splayed in front of her, <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/nike-celebrates-shelly-ann-fraser-pryce" target="_blank">Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce</a> exploded off the blocks in the World Athletics Championship final in a capacity-filled Japan National Stadium in Tokyo. She ended her 100-metre career in the same way she began racing 18 years ago in Japan—with fierce speed, strength and composure. It was a bold tribute to Jamaica, the nation whose unyielding support has carried her through two decades at the top of the sport.In her decades of dominance—from becoming the first Caribbean woman to win Olympic gold in the 100 metres in 2008, to returning as World Champion in 2019 after giving birth to her son, Zyon—Shelly-Ann has embodied the power of duality.&nbsp;The ability to have longevity in athletics's shortest, most intense discipline; exuding femininity and self-expression in a physically demanding sport; proving motherhood and greatness can coexist.What athletes everywhere, and especially young girls, can take from Shelly-Ann's lead: the courage to run your own race, on your terms. To trust that setbacks don't define you, only your response to them. And the assurance that, if you believe in yourself and work with discipline, harmony is possible. Dreams and family, career and legacy.For that and for the now 276 incredible races and finishing line moments, thank you, Shelly-Ann.Below, go behind the scenes of the GOAT's final meet days in Tokyo.

The shoes. The hair. The finish. At the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Shelly-Ann, a five-time world champion, ended her career her way.

Sofieke van Bilsen is a 29-year-old Dutch photographer with a passion for storytelling through imagery. She is the in-house photographer for the German women's national football team, and was team photographer for the German Olympic Team in Paris 2024. She works closely with Nike athletes such as Faith Kipyegon, Eliud Kipchoge and Sifan Hassan.In her photography, she aims to create compelling visual narratives, focusing on the deep connection between emotion and athleticism. She strives to capture the raw moments behind the scenes, the untold stories of the journey and everything in between, bringing the spirit of sport to life.Sofieke's personality creates instant connections with people, and she is loved by the athletes she works with. Her relaxed and enthusiastic personality complements an incredible skill level and the ability to work in high-pressure environments for athletes.

Sofieke van Bilsen

Photo essay

Icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Ran Her Final 100 Metre On Her Terms

Over the course of his career, LeBron James has shared his passion for the game globally, partnering with Nike to travel throughout Greater China during his offseason, galvanizing a nation in its love for basketball and hoops culture. Just as LeBron's career has evolved through different eras, his tours have represented different values over the many times he's visited since 2005. Below are some of his most memorable moments in the country.

2005–2009

LeBron began his debut tour in Beijing in August of 2005. He was invited to watch the awards ceremony of the Nike Battlegrounds tournament, but he'd depart as more than just a spectator. From the moment he stepped down in China, he believed his tour could become a cross-cultural exchange rooted in a shared love of hoops and a mission to inspire the next generation of young players in China. "Basketball is not only a sport, it's also a bridge that connects people", he said.&nbsp;"This is a great learning experience for everyone. I hope I can continue to help grow the game globally and inspire the youth in China to reach their dreams".

LeBron's legacy in China is woven into special China-specific iterations of his signature footwear. In 2007, LeBron James appeared alongside NIKE, Inc.'s then-President & CEO Mark Parker to debut his Nike Zoom LeBron V "China" colourway.

LeBron returned to Beijing in 2009 after his MVP season, where he enjoyed a hero's welcome. As part of his trip, he donated equipment and provided scholarships for the Zhenhua School, a school for the children of migrant workers in suburban Beijing.

To celebrate his season, LeBron was presented with an exclusive pair of the Nike Air Max LeBron VII, featuring a Shenyang-inspired design dubbed "Loyalty" created by the local artist Ray Lei, and a Shanghai-inspired design dubbed "Family", created by the local artist Sic.

2011–2015

LeBron embraced his role as a global ambassador for the game, focusing on the opportunity to inspire China's young players. In 2011, his tour expanded to eight days over four cities, promoting grassroots basketball through a series of skill clinics and tournaments.

In 2012, with a fresh gold medal to pair with his championship ring, LeBron James made a triumphant arrival in Beijing to kick off a four-day tour as part of the&nbsp;Find Your Greatness campaign. "Greatness is defined by how much you want to put into what you do", said LeBron. "Greatness comes with victory. It also comes with being able to come back from adversity".

In 2013, LeBron returned to China with plenty to celebrate: his second straight NBA championship and MVP awards for both the regular season and the Finals.

In 2014, LeBron James was the first mentor to announce the roster for the Nike RISE, designed to help players raise their competitive game and improve their skill.

In 2015, Nike RISE 2015 evolved with LED Courts and motion-tracking drills to create a pinnacle training experience, teach the fundamentals of basketball and push the boundaries of sports training.

An emotional finale saw four players chosen to represent China at the World Streetball Championships.

2016–2019

After winning another NBA title in 2016, LeBron entered Guangzhou to a massive championship parade, the streets flanked by tens of thousands of fans, many of them in Cavs #23 jerseys. It was a signal for just how widely James's legacy had expanded throughout Asia.&nbsp;His More Than an Athlete campaign inspired young players to see basketball as one of many tools for affecting social change.

After a warm welcome from thousands of fans, he spent most of his time in Beijing working out with and coaching members of the Chinese Junior National basketball team.

Visiting primary schools throughout Beijing, LeBron shared his personal basketball experiences with young athletes, emphasising the role that hard work, dedication and self-belief played in his path to success.

In 2018, the first day of his "More Than an Athlete" tour in Shanghai began with a panel discussion with students at the Shanghai Theatre&nbsp;Academy, and ended with a park shootaround. Hundreds of fans gathered outside the court to watch him play, hoping to catch a glimpse of the icon.

This month, LeBron flew to China for his "Forever King Tour", his 15th in the country and marking the 20th anniversary of tours in Asia. There, he joined some of the world's most passionate hoopers and basketball fans, reiterating his commitment to giving back to the game across the world.

Over the course of his career, LeBron James has shared his passion for the game globally, partnering with Nike to travel throughout Greater China during his offseason, galvanizing a nation in its love for basketball and hoops culture.

Journey of an icon: 20 years of LeBron James in China

Hours of powering up steep ascents and navigating gnarly descents. Whipping mountain winds, glaring direct sun and biting evening temps. Getting mentally right with the fact that the next aid station is far, far away. Ultra trail running can sound like a gruelling, relentless sport reserved for the wildest, most hardcore athletes among us.According to our <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/nike-acg-all-conditions-racing-department" target="_blank">All Conditions Racing Department</a> runners—six of whom just conquered pinnacle UTMB races across the French, Italian and Swiss Alps, on trails spanning 15 to 174 kilometres, with elevation gains of 1,200 to nearly 10,000 metres—the grit, determination, joy and freedom trail running gives you are worth every ounce of work. See for yourself.

<h3>ROSS GOLLAN</h3>Race: Experience Trail Courmayeur (ETC); 15K with 1,200m elevation gain Global finish rank: 29th

<h3>MARIE NIVET</h3>Race: ETC; 15K with 1,200m elevation gain Global women's finish rank: 7th

CESARE MAESTRIRace: ETC; 15K with 1,200m elevation gain Global finish rank: 2nd

<h3>BAPTISTE COATANTIEC</h3>Race: Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB); 174K with nearly 10,000m elevation gain Global finish rank: 11th

<h3>ANTHONY COSTALES</h3>Race: Courmayeur—Champex—Chamonix (CCC); 101K with more than 6,050m elevation gain Global finish rank: 15th

<h3>DREW HOLMEN</h3>Race: CCC; 101K with more than 6,050m elevation gain Global finish rank: 3rd

Powering up steep ascents. Navigating gnarly descents. Whipping mountain winds. Ultra trail running is a relentless sport. But the payoff is well worth the grind.

Ultra trail running can take everything you've got—and give you even more

On the raucous machinery floor of Nike's Air Manufacturing Innovation facility, a group of engineers study an inflated Air Max unit prototype. Its shape is stunningly technical. This "clover" unit, the visual cue that would later become the flowering, minimalist Air bag for the new <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/nike-air-liquid-max-merges-superior-comfort-and-air-max-heritage" target="_blank">Nike Air Liquid Max</a>, is curved to help the wearer glide from each step to the next. The ride is meant to be incomparably smooth.&nbsp;But there's a catch. The unique shape of the bag is so complex it needs a lot of special attention. It's the first Max unit to include internal cut-outs. The trim, or the perimeter of the bag, is complicated to get right. Air Max engineers have a word to describe Air: elastomeric. It means that Air has the ability to transform based on changing variables like temperature and humidity. As soon as you introduce more complexity to the shape of a filled Air bag, the harder it is to cut it to a precise shape over and over again across a full size run. Think of a cookie-cutter mould. The more complicated the shape, the greater the margin for error when you slice the dough. Now imagine that dough is curved upward. That's the case for this Max Air bag, and any dip or rise in room temperature can make the bag change shape ever so slightly.&nbsp;What's more, the same design has to be replicated hundreds of thousands of times.&nbsp;High complexity. High precision. All in a minimalist silhouette meant to feel like the most nothing Max ever.&nbsp;

What does it mean to walk on Nike Air? There's the comfort, obviously. Every step should feel effortless. Then there's the unmistakable look, beginning with the Air Max I in 1987, when the big see-through bubble was actually a prism into the future of shoe cushioning. But Nike Air could never just be a platform built on inspiration. It needed to be built on technical rigour to give a precisely tuned feeling.&nbsp;While the evocation of "walking on air" is easy, creating it is anything but.

The silhouette was originally briefed in 2019 and tag-lined "The Most Nothing Max". The goal was to create an Air Max that felt light, fluid, flexible and barely detectable—a goal that's historically been at odds with the platform.

In an Air Max legacy that was founded on the big bubble, designers wondered whether an Air Max unit could, should, feel like nothing. A filled Air bag, when combined with layers of cement foam and rubber, can come across as rigid and slappy, making it challenging to feel a smooth step-to-step transition.&nbsp;"Liquid Max had to set a new visual precedent, but the Air unit also had to give a new sensation for walking on Air", says Ditte Kuijpers, design director, Nike Sportswear Innovation Footwear. "People needed to both feel and see how it was different. Every component of the shoe had to work together for this to happen".

To begin, designers and engineers discussed how this unit would break from Air Max models of the past. A few key descriptions stood out as inspiration: sleek. Reductive. Minimalist. The Air Max unit had to be lighter and more flexible than previous models. When Nike designers began conceptualising this sleeker unit, one source came from an unlikely place: <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/nike-air-max-scorpion-official-images-release-date" target="null">Air Max Scorpion</a>. Released in 2021, it was maximalist in the truest sense, featuring an enormous unit shaped by ambitious proportions. It was the largest unit ever created in terms of volume of Air per square inch. One observation stood out from designing the Scorpion bag: its emphasis on a term called "point loading". This is when each area of cushioning is precisely mapped against the entirety of your foot, comfortably spreading your bodyweight out on certain points of the bag. Each part of the Air unit can have a different stiffness or softness.&nbsp;

"Scorpion gave the team a good starting point", says Wade Flanagan, director of Nike Air Innovation. "We learned new techniques that could help us tune the bag for flexibility across different zones. Comparing the Scorpion bag to Liquid Max, we wanted to make something lighter, more flexible, more minimalist, but just as responsive".But cutting the bags to achieve this effect is complicated, says Flanagan. Each Air bag almost has a mind of its own because of how it can change in the slightest of circumstances. Trimming each one perfectly, he says, is like hitting a moving target.

The silhouette's name shifted to Liquid Max for good reason: the unit had to move with a undetectably smooth transition, like liquid. One of the designers' early prototypes used a modified version of the Air Max Dn8's Air units, a row of pressurised tubes across the full length of the foot. To create a more contoured system that worked with the foot, and to reduce the number of parts in the shoe, designers experimented with different versions of a drop-in midsole.Some prototypes of the Air unit were more organic. Others were more industrial. Some shapes tried turning visual details into mechanical advantages. Could a sly spelling of "Air Max" on the outsole create a trampoline-like effect through the middle of the letters? The possibilities were wide open. Testing wasn't limited to the physical world, either. A digital method called Finite Element Analysis, or FEA, helped designers simulate the real-life forces of a person walking in the shoe, putting pressure on different regions of the unit and then measuring how it responded.&nbsp;

This testing through trial and error helped designers and engineers land on a beautiful, two-chambered, full-length Air unit design. Maybe its most noticeable shift from Air units of the past was also its most challenging on a technical level: cutting out inserts in the bag; coring out unnecessary parts in the middle; and moulding it in a curved, rockered shape to make it more minimalist. Trimming a unit this complicated inside and out, on a curve? It hadn't been done before. It would require a more precise kind of Air manufacturing.&nbsp;

The Liquid Max team began working closely with the technicians at Nike's Air Manufacturing Innovation (Air MI) facilities in Beaverton, Oregon. There was basically no margin for error. Cut the bag at a poor angle, and the bag can pop. Cut it too wide, and you leave behind messy, awkward flanges around the perimeter. A dynamic ingredient like Air is also highly sensitive to the environment around it, meaning the bag can change shape in an instant based on the indoor temperature, resulting in inconsistent sizes. Air unit manufacturing is the equivalent of baking the world's coolest soufflé.

The final version of the Liquid Max Air unit is what happens when bold creativity meets manufacturing ingenuity. And the strategies employed to make the Air unit go beyond any single shoe."The Liquid Max unit is an example of when our designers, engineers and Air MI technicians set their sight on a challenge and overcome it", says Flanagan. "A lot of that comes from being inspired to challenge limitations and push Air Max to a new place so we can provide new benefits to people who wear it".

Nike Air Liquid Max is the first Max unit to include internal cut-outs. It ushers in an era for the Air Max franchise where precision and complexity go hand in hand.

Explore Nike, Converse and Jordan footwear and apparel design stories featuring Nike Air Force 1, Nike Air Jordan, Nike Air Max and more.

Design

Making it

Less Is Max In the Newest Version of Nike Air

About Nike—stories from inside NIKE, Inc.

For Yao Miao, becoming the "Queen of Trail Running" in China took everything she had. Yao grew up in a small farming village in China's Guizhou Province, the youngest of six daughters. She often helped her parents, working long hours in the rice fields, but even as a child she knew she wanted to pursue a future outside of her rural community. That opportunity came in middle school. Yao left home when she was selected as one of four students from her area to attend a state-run sports school for future elite athletes. The early days were tough. Leaving her family wasn't easy, and she often felt lonely and homesick. Her body struggled to adapt to a kind of training she had never done before. But it was there that she discovered her passion for trail running.Overtime, her natural resilience paid off. She pushed through injuries and setbacks to become Asia's first three-time Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) Finals champion, one of the most celebrated trail-running races in the world.Now, as she joins the ACG <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/nike-acg-all-conditions-racing-department" target="null">All Conditions Racing Department</a>, ACG's roster of elite trail running athletes, Yao looks back on where her journey began, the victories and challenges along the way and how her ACG partnership will help reach a new generation of athletes.

My hometown helped shape me into an elite athlete. There are many small mountains, and I played there when I was young, so I grew used to that terrain. That experience helped me become a strong trail runner. I really enjoy running in China's mountain environments, especially running on the Great Wall.It's important to know that you don't have to reach your goals immediately. At sport school, I focused mainly on running and was part of an organised team. But after graduating in 2016, I was not chosen to join a professional team or university. So, I started working. I handed out flyers at a gym, then I helped my sister at her makeup shop. I felt lost. I wasn't training like an athlete anymore.I wasn't interested in anything but running. Eventually, that rejection was motivating for me. I had the opportunity to enter a trail race. While I didn't finish, that failure to finish made me feel I needed to come back to trail running. My goal was to become the best trail runner of all time. I made up my mind to keep working and continue racing. I believed I could succeed and I wanted to prove it.One of my most challenging races was in 2019 at UTMB. During the 168km run, I had a period where I lost my vision. I was racing so much that my body couldn't bear the strain of so many competitions. I couldn't finish the race, and the organisers asked me to quit. I was very nervous because I worried I might never see again and not be able to return to trail running. The vision loss was only temporary, but I felt like I was losing confidence in the sport.

Getting my footing in trail running took time, but that journey was so rewarding. After my first championship in 2018, I knew I had the talent and motivation to become an elite trail runner. I kept chasing another win but couldn't seem to get one. I struggled in 2019 with several DNFs and stopped racing in 2020. But I still had this intense passion for the sport, so I came back in 2023. I finally won again in 2024, the OCC-UTMB, which was my most satisfying victory. I was back! The hard work paid off, and I felt like I could finally move forward.For me, the most important mindset is love for the sport. I've faced many challenges, but because I love trail running, I've been able to keep going and become who I am today.

I want trail runners to think about how their actions affect the environment. Trail running is becoming popular very quickly. However, many runners still don't think enough about protecting their environment. I encourage runners to care for the outdoors and our planet—stay on marked trails, carry out their trash properly, respect the wildlife. Protecting these spaces is part of being a responsible runner. I know it's not easy to educate everyone, but I can start with myself and help model good behaviour. Last year, I helped organise events focused on environmental protection and I hope, in the future, more people will join me.I know how much I can do with ACG to build my dream and support the next generation. I'm proud to launch the Nike-supported "Boundless Girls with Yao Miao" initiative that will help more girls in many Chinese primary and secondary schools access sports. I want to inspire teenage girls who grow up in underdeveloped areas like I did to find their confidence and know that the world is vast. Sport has the power to open new doors for them.

Her rise from rural China to three‑time UTMB Finals champion—and now member of the ACG All Conditions Racing Department—is a story of endurance, belief and relentless dedication to the sport.

For the win

Trail Runner Yao Miao Is Running Down New Goals With ACG

Editor's Picks

Story Landing

Nike exists to champion athletes and sport. And we believe women and girls aren't just the future of sport—they're on the leading edge of change. This belief has led us to design products that are increasingly inclusive and consider body, mind and life. Explore four prime examples—and the Nike innovators behind them—below.

We're embracing holistic fitnessWomen are redefining what sport is and the opportunity it represents—and we want to help accelerate the change that they want to see. That's why we're making a purposeful shift from pure sport to holistic fitness and wellness. Here's a look at what that means.

Movement, mindfulness, nutrition, rest and connection

We're creating products for your periodMenstruation. Period. Leaks. We're comfortable saying the words, and our designers have obsessed over how to help address the common problem—bleed-through—that periods can bring. Leak protection: Period, our Nike innovation, can help people feel safer, more confident and better able to focus on the movement they love.

FYI, this short is "awesome"

We're inviting more people to run, walk or bothWe've designed a shoe for all: Nike Motiva. Women-led insights have helped us innovate and create a shoe that can make movement feel easier and more fun, and leave people wanting to come back for more.

A shoe that gets you moving

We've levelled up women's football bootsDesign a football boot with her and for her, and the result is far more than a better women's boot—it's the catalyst to bring more girls and women into the game and help them fall in love with the sport. Meet the Phantom Luna.

A good home for your foot

Fifty years of listening to athletes, alongside our culture of innovation, has led us to create products and services that are increasingly inclusive and consider body, mind and life.

Feature

All movement, all moments: our next era of designing for women

Fans of the Swoosh know the brand can design a covetable shoe. What takes that feat to the next level: designing one that's built to swagger and perform—then be taken apart and recycled.That was the remit for the Nike&nbsp;ISPA team. ISPA (Improvise, Scavenge, Protect, Adapt) is a Nike design philosophy that challenges creators to experiment, break moulds and reimagine products. In this case, it helps move Nike closer to its circular vision—a closed-loop system that yields no waste—to help protect the planet and the future of sport.Recently, the ISPA team debuted two head-turning new footwear models that show the brand's innovative capabilities and foretell its future&nbsp;in circular design. <h3>The intent</h3>For more than 30 years, Nike teams have pursued design solutions in service of the athlete and the planet. They've unlocked new, lower-impact materials (see&nbsp;Nike Grind and&nbsp;Nike Air) and created pinnacle performance footwear and iconic lifestyle silhouettes leveraging recycled content (see&nbsp;Alphafly Next Nature and the&nbsp;2022 Move to Zero collections). As the climate crisis has intensified for athletes&nbsp;around the world, Nike teams have shifted into a higher gear, embracing circular-design principles as creative&nbsp;accelerants. Those include the 10 principles outlined in the Nike&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nikecirculardesign.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Circular Design Guide</a>, an open-source workbook to share learnings and insights with the larger design community and anyone interested in how design can help lessen impact on the planet.Here, the&nbsp;ISPA&nbsp;team considered the circular-design principle of "disassembly", or&nbsp;the ability to easily take a product apart to recycle its contents, one of the more challenging principles to implement in footwear design. A good shoe is flexible and durable. Traditionally, designers use glue and other bonding elements to achieve these aims, but that makes a shoe nearly impossible to disassemble and recycle. Recycling shoes usually requires shredding, an energy-intensive process that limits how the recycled materials can be used. Creating a shoe that can be taken apart would reduce the carbon footprint of the product and open up new possibilities for its life cycle. <h3>The innovations</h3>The ISPA team tackled the disassembly challenge. "Designed in partnership with engineering, digital product creation and development, these shoes are completely informed by method of make—it really is a case of form following function", says Darryl Matthews, VP, Catalyst Footwear Product Design. "Our hope is that these ideas and aesthetics become normalised,&nbsp;accelerating&nbsp;our ability to imagine how shoes will continue to evolve in the future".

<h3>The Nike ISPA Link</h3>This futuristic silhouette features three interlocking modules connected without glue that can be taken apart and dropped off at Nike stores offering the Recycling & Donation service.

The midsole is made up of pegs that fit into openings engineered into the upper. This makes for an exceptional fit that is comfortable, stable and breathes well, according to the 40 athletes&nbsp;who logged some 200 hours in the prototype.

From a manufacturing standpoint, the Link is revolutionary in its simplicity. A pair of Links takes about eight minutes to assemble—a fraction of the average time needed for a traditional sneaker—thanks to a custom-made manufacturing jig and the fact that the shoe doesn't require the time-intensive gluing process to construct its midsole. Finally, the shoe is assembled without the need for conventional energy-intensive processes like cooling, heating and conveyor-belt systems.

<h3>The ISPA Link Axis</h3>Make the bold bolder. That's the vibe of the <a href="https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/nike-debuts-the-ispa-link-axis-an-exploration-into-circular-design" rel="noopener noreferrer">Link Axis</a>, which builds on and advances the Link's sustainable intent. The Link Axis has a 100-percent-recycled polyester Flyknit upper that's precisely engineered to fit over the outsole (compared with the traditional cut-and-sew method used for the Link), and its 100-percent-recycled TPU tooling was achieved by using scrap airbag material.

The Link Axis is the new pinnacle for disassembly, and embodies the circular-design principles of material choice, waste avoidance and refurbishment.

The shoe also has a 20-percent-recycled TPU cage. Because recycling changes some material properties, the cage is an exercise in balancing the desire to use recycled content with the need for durability and traction. The ISPA team continues to explore new developments in this space.

Nike has explored disassembly and interlocking modular designs before, in the 2003 Presto Clip …

2003

… and the 2005 Zvezdochka, created in collaboration with industrial designer Marc Newson. These early iterations paved the way for the ISPA Link and ISPA Link Axis.

2005

Past inspiration

<h3>What's next?</h3>For mould-breaking models like the Link and Link Axis to have full impact, the innovation must be scaled. That action is underway. A holistic look at Nike&nbsp;product lines and supply chains is already determining where new approaches can be implemented to reach a wider audience and to move closer to <a href="https://about.nike.com/en/impact" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nike's sustainability goals for 2025</a> and beyond.True scale also requires robust cross-industry collaboration to create the business models and infrastructure that make it possible to recycle products. To that end, Nike is building partnerships to grow its recycling capabilities, and it's investing in product take-back programmes for consumers across the world that will help grow its ability to repurpose end-of-life products.As essential: By embracing radical new aesthetics like the Link and Link Axis, Nike is signalling the importance of circular systems for fighting climate change, and inviting consumers and the design community to engage in a conversation about it.To that end, Nike was proud to participate in&nbsp;"<a href="https://www.design-museum.de/en/exhibitions/detailpages/plastic.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Plastic: Remaking Our World</a>", an exhibition at Germany's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.design-museum.de/en/information.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Vitra Design Museum</a>, one of the world's leading design institutions. The exhibit highlighted the exploration of design and the evolutionary journey behind the ISPA Link Axis, and was a unique window into the brand's approach to innovative design with sustainable intent.With the Link and Link Axis, Nike is further accelerating its move towards a circular, zero-carbon and zero-waste future. As Nike Chief Innovation Officer John Hoke puts it, "We have a responsibility to consider the complete design solution: how we source, make, use, return and ultimately re-imagine product. The goal is to make matter&nbsp;matter&nbsp;more."

The ISPA Link and ISPA Link Axis, examples of design for disassembly, are innovative catalysts that move the brand closer to a circular future.

Innovation

Why we're making shoes you can take apart

Why Nike is making shoes you can take apart

By Adam BradleyWhat does 50 years of Nike sound like? Footfalls on polyurethane tracks. The echoed pop of optic yellow balls against nylon strings. The squeak of rubber soles on polished courts. Above all, though, Nike sounds like its athletes. In the early years, you could pick out each voice: Steve Prefontaine, Joan Benoit Samuelson, George "The Iceman" Gervin. As the decades went by, the voices grew louder, more varied: John McEnroe, Bo Jackson, Michael Jeffrey Jordan. Then Tiger, Serena, LeBron. Ronaldo, Mbappé, Naomi. With each passing decade, the chorus builds until their voices harmonise, united and distinct.&nbsp;Nike listens. As John Slusher, the company's executive vice president for Global Sports Marketing, says, "Listening to the voice of the athlete is so crucial to us". Slusher and his team spend a great deal of time responding to—even anticipating—athletes' needs. A rising WNBA star like Sabrina Ionescu might require different things than an 18-year veteran like Diana Taurasi. Maybe it's business mentoring or a visit to the Sports Research Lab for a custom shoe fitting. Almost any athlete will appreciate a therapeutic massage, but for a 10,000-metre runner like Shalane Flanagan, a mid-heat massage could mean that one-second difference between qualifying for the final or going home.

Yes, Nike listens. And with listening comes learning: how to enhance performance, how to build a better business, how to respond to what the moment demands. With learning comes growth: improving not only products but also practices, supporting athletes as they take stands for social justice, centring the voices of women in sport and in business.&nbsp;With growth comes commitment, born of deep investment into the people and the principles that define the company. And with that commitment comes a familial bond between Nike and its athletes. Slusher often stresses himself out while watching major sporting events. Why? "If it's two Nike teams or Nike athletes on opposing sides", he says, "I practically have to look away. Nike in general and our teams—we love our athletes, we love our sports".Over the years, Nike's athletes have reciprocated that commitment. After a birthday celebration that stretched well into the next morning, the New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter showed up for an event with key Nike retailers because he knew it mattered to the company. Then there was Kobe Bryant, whom Slusher recalls having attended 92 Nike events in a single calendar year when he was obligated to attend only eight.&nbsp;Perhaps this is what people have in mind when they talk about the Nike family. Perhaps it's why major sporting events often take on the spirit of a family reunion, with elders welcoming younger athletes into the fold. During a long weekend in February, for instance, some of Nike's American football legends took time to record welcome messages for the brand's newest endorsement partners, young athletes, some just out of university, for whom a personal message from American football legends Barry Sanders or Jerry Rice must seem like a dream. At Nike, such dreams are often the beginning of others.&nbsp;"We view our athletes as part of the Nike family and we want to help them succeed", says Slusher. It's a common metaphor in business, often invoked but rarely achieved. Corporate cultures are quick to embrace the warm and fuzzy feelings of togetherness while skipping over the responsibilities that being in a family requires. But as Barry Sanders explains, "Nike has figured something out. They don't just support athletes in their respective sports, they support them whatever their interests are off the field. They have established great partnerships and relationships with athletes". Jerry Rice picks up the thread. Yes, Nike champions you as an athlete, he explains, but really, it's a matter of reciprocity: "When everything's working the way that it should and you know that they've got your back and you've got their back", says Rice, "it's just a perfect relationship".Alex Morgan's own Nike journey exemplifies the spirit of family in Sanders' and Rice's words. When Morgan was 7 years old, she and two local friends founded their own Nike club. They met in the back garden of the Morgan family home in Diamond Bar, California, in a white shed adorned with Swooshes the girls had scrawled on the walls by hand. "We tried our best to draw the perfect Nike logo", Morgan recalls. "From then on, I was a huge fan of Nike". Following a standout university football career, Morgan turned pro and soon joined the Nike family. "It was a dream come true to sign my first endorsement deal with Nike", she says, which she did in 2011. "And we've been on this long, amazing journey since". That journey has taken Morgan to two world championship victories, an Olympic gold medal and a legendary club career.But her fondest memory as a Nike athlete came off the pitch. In 2019, Morgan stepped away from competition while pregnant with her first child. In a fortuitous bit of timing, that same year Nike launched its maternity collection. "I got one of the very first prototypes", she says. Wearing her new Nike gear, she could stay active and comfortable in clothes that made her feel confident and strong. "Just to feel supported—not only on the pitch but as a mum-to-be—that felt really good", she recalls. Now, she and her toddler son sport matching Jordans. The Nike family grows.

In a rare interview, given to the Harvard Business Review back in 1992, Nike's founder, Phil Knight, now 86, explained what the company looks for in its partners. "The trick is to get athletes who not only can win but can stir up emotion", he said. Look across the decades and you'll see that Nike has consistently achieved just that. From Andre Agassi to Charles Barkley, Emma Raducanu to Ja Morant. Once they've found those athletes, Nike looks to grow with them. "We take the time to understand our athletes and we have to build long-term relationships with them", explained Knight. "Those relationships go beyond any financial transactions. John McEnroe and Joan Benoit wear our shoes every day but it's not the contract. We like them and they like us. We win their hearts as well as their feet".Winning hearts and feet is a good summation of the Nike ethos. It's been true from the beginning, when the spirit of Nike was no more than a coach and an athlete: Knight and his University of Oregon coach Bill Bowerman. Though much has evolved about the company—and the landscape of sport—over half a century, that much has stayed the same. "For all the changes", says Slusher, "we also started with the best athletes with the best stories wearing the best product and winning. It was in the boot of Phil's car: get the guy who's gonna win the marathon to wear your shoes. And in some ways, it's the same thing today. Of course, it's a lot broader and more complex but we're still partnering with those great athletes and helping them to achieve their best".And the company memorialises those close relationships to athletes on its sprawling Beaverton, Oregon, campus by naming its buildings after its greatest stars. "The buildings are named after the men and women who have given us more than their names and endorsements", explained Knight in his 2016 memoir, Shoe Dog. "Joan Benoit Samuelson, Ken Griffey Jr, Mia Hamm, Tiger Woods, Dan Fouts, Jerry Rice, Steve Prefontaine—they've given us our identity"."Naming buildings after athletes—that's an incredible thing", says John McEnroe, who has his own building on campus and is Nike's longest-tenured athlete partner at 44 years and counting, having won seven grand-slam titles over the course of his career. The tennis champ's longstanding relationship with Nike is a testament to a defining difference in how the company thinks about its endorsers. Perhaps not even Knight knows the exact number of athletes that have been part of Nike's journey over these 50 years. At any given time, the company maintains close to 16,000 relationships with athletes and organisations across the globe. Forbes recently reported that of the top 100 highest-earning athletes, more than half were part of the Nike family. Nike is a brand of champions.

You could write the history of Nike's first 50 years through its heritage of champions, individuals whose commitment to excellence has helped them achieve the highest recognition in their sport. LeBron James and Serena Williams, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Naomi Osaka, Rafa Nadal and Sam Kerr and so many more. Here, "champion" is a noun, a word that memorialises past performance. As a company, Nike embraces the verb, dedicating itself to actively supporting the cause of its athletes. In his letter commemorating Nike's golden anniversary, Knight put words to this belief: "From day one", he wrote, "everything we did—and still do—is to unleash the potential of every athlete around the world".How do you champion a champion? Ask three-time Super Bowl champ Jerry Rice and he'll tell you. It starts, he says, with the best—and the best-looking—equipment. "It's all the swag! Having that Nike Swoosh on there", he says, while wearing a Nike T-shirt, Swoosh across the chest. "I remember having to tape my shoes a certain way to make sure that logo stood out. Just to have that logo on there, I knew I was gonna do something special on that day".When asked what they'd preserve for a time capsule commemorating Nike's 50th, several athletes mentioned the iconic late '80s, early '90s advertising campaigns starring Michael Jordan and more specifically, the 1989 Spike Lee-directed ad starring Lee as Mars Blackmon, with its indelible refrain, "It's gotta be the shoes!"The phrase still resonates. On a recent visit to the Nike campus, the reigning NBA champion Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked what he thinks about when he thinks about Nike. His response was immediate. "Shoes. And, specifically, free shoes! The ones I get at my house", he said, flashing a mischievous grin familiar to those who know the playful personality of one of the most competitive athletes on the face of the earth. Just as quick, he shifts to a tone of sincerity and thoughtfulness. What does Nike bring to mind? "The culture they've built over the years", he says. "When I think about Nike, I think about the athletes that have been a part of Nike's journey".

Barry Sanders played a big part in Nike's journey and Nike played a big part in his. Throughout his career, Sanders was generous with his teammates, gifting his linemen Rolex watches and big-screen TVs but frugal when it came to himself. Off the field, you'd probably find him head to toe in Nike-issued gear. Why pay for clothes when Nike gave them to you for free? And besides, wearing the Swoosh was a source of pride. "It was a seal of approval", says Sanders today, thinking back on his decision to sign with Nike. "I'm one of those guys".Historically, a lot of those "guys" have been women and Nike continues to build on its commitment to women's sport and to enhance its focus on women consumers. "With Nike, it's been great to be able to brainstorm together and be in meeting rooms with people who actually do have a future plan", says Alex Morgan. "It's great to hear the athlete's perspective and where the athlete feels their contributions can be the most authentic". Earlier this year, Nike formalised that informal practice of consulting athletes when it inaugurated its Athlete Think Tank, aimed at investing in the future of women's sport. Among its 13 founding members is Serena Williams, who brings her vision and advocacy to this vital work. "I think Nike has probably learnt a lot from working with me and my team", says Williams. "I think I have helped teach them how to be nimbler and more spontaneous". Of course, she's learnt from Nike too: how to chart long-term goals, how to plan for success. Paula Badosa, the 26-year-old Spanish tennis star, is half as old as Nike, but she understands this ethos. "Our dreams as athletes become their dreams", she says.&nbsp;The athlete's voice resounds.

The voice itself is an athlete. We hear its sound because of the conscious and unconscious coordination of lungs and abdominal muscles, vocal folds and larynx, tongue and teeth. It should come as no surprise, then, that people who have dedicated their lives to training their bodies to achieve peak performance would have strong voices too. A'ja Wilson, a university champion, WNBA MVP and three-time All-Star, all before the age of 26, understands her greatest role as being "a voice for the voiceless", she says. In the months after the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman from Louisville, Kentucky, who was killed during a no-knock raid on her apartment, Wilson used the platform she earned through her athletic achievement to speak out. Addressing the media on 24 September 2020, before her Las Vegas Aces faced off in game three of their semi-final series against the Connecticut Sun, a day after learning that none of the officers involved in Taylor's death would face charges, Wilson raised her voice in the spirit of her convictions. "Black Lives Matter isn't this big thing that's taking money", she said. "It is a statement. It is a life that I live. I am a Black woman. You take everything that I have earned away from me and I am a Black woman".Wilson knows that Nike supports her and her freedom of self-expression. More than that, she understands that Nike gives her a means of amplifying her voice so that it reaches further, resonates deeper. "Nike does an amazing job of helping us tell our stories the way that we want them to be told", she says. "Just be you and they will make it work. I appreciate that and I'm sure other athletes do as well".

Nike believes that everyone is an athlete.* That's not empty rhetoric but a guiding reality. It speaks both to the company's grand commercial ambitions, of course, but more profoundly, it testifies to a vision of service that aims to reach everyone. I ask my two daughters, who are 8 and 11 years old, what wearing the Swoosh means to them and they sound a lot like Nike's athletes. It makes them feel faster, more confident. It just feels comfortable. "Dad", my older daughter says to me, barely restraining her exasperation, "it's just cool". Jerry Rice and Mia Hamm and Ada Hegerberg and Eliud Kipchoge all agree: fifty looks good on Nike.Nike's slogan for its golden anniversary is succinct and aspirational: "Never Done". In this regard, it is similar to the brand's most famous tagline, "Just Do It." John McEnroe recalls a Nike executive trying out that iconic phrase on him more than 30 years ago. "It's horrible! It'll never work", he says. "It's safe to say I was wrong about that one", McEnroe admits with a wry shake of the head. I try the new slogan out on him now and he nods. "That's good", he says. "Because that would lead me to believe that after this 50 years, Nike wants to be around for 50 more".

We are dedicated to supporting and serving our Nike athletes. This is what 50 years of actively listening sounds like.

Nike exists to serve the complete athlete, and shares their winning mentality. As a champion for athletes and sport, Nike partners with athletes who share the belief that sport can break barriers, push limits, spark change and move the world forwards.