From the first built-in sports bra to football kits designed specifically for women, Nike has a powerful track record of breaking conventions and setting new standards in apparel.
1979: WINDRUNNER
Nike’s first apparel designer, Diane Katz, created the now iconic Windrunner during the 1970s running boom. Rejecting the norm of restrictive training gear, Nike designed a lightweight, weather-resistant single-layer nylon jacket with raglan sleeves to protect from the elements while allowing for movement. The look was memorable too, with bold colorways for visibility and a 26-degree chevron design.
1985: NOELLE WARM-UP
This year, the Noelle warm-up made the cover of Nike’s fall women’s catalog. The performance-ready sweatshirt responded to the growing impact of the decade’s aerobics craze and featured the bright colors that typify the era.
1987: PRINT FLEECE CREW
Designed by Nike veteran Angela Snow, this top was the company’s first allover print piece. It created a signature approach to the trends of the era and helped present a unique, distinctive Nike perspective for women’s sports apparel.
1987: AIRBORNE
The Airborne support top was the first Nike product with a built-in sports bra, and it enabled women of all shapes and sizes to feel comfortable while playing sports. The top’s 1988 version carried an allover print, extending the aesthetic pioneered by Angela Snow.
1989: SIDE 1
Nike created the Side 1 apparel division to build a distinct perspective for younger women, emphasizing stylistic cues for a contemporary teen audience. While short-lived, the Side 1 line is an early example of integrating a style-first lens to performance.
1991: SIDE 1 RACERBACK BRA
Nike’s first sports bra debuted as an “aerobics top” in 1990, at the height of the fitness craze. The first time “bra” was used in NIKE, Inc. product naming, however, was in 1991, when Side 1, the Nike line focused on younger women, introduced its racerback bra.
1995: AEROBICS MINI FITNESS TOP
Before the era of social media, there were fitness influencers creating massively popular ’90s aerobic workout videos. This was the frenzied climate in which Nike introduced its aerobics mini fitness top, perfect for providing support and keeping cool. Notably, the top was not called a “bra,” and true Nike-branded sports bras did not enter the company catalog until 1996.
2000: SWIFT SUIT
In what is now an iconic Olympic fashion moment, this full bodysuit, designed to maximize aerodynamics, was immortalized by sprinter Cathy Freeman when she wore it and won gold in the 400-meter in Sydney in 2000.
2004: TEMPO RUNNING SHORT
With curved side panels made of sweat-wicking mesh that help runners stay cool and move freely, this short became an instant hit. It is still Nike’s most popular short and, like the Windrunner, is a hallmark product for the brand.
2005: DANCE TANK
Styled with a mesh shrug, this tank exhibits the innovative aesthetic shifts in studio fitness from the early ’90s aerobics craze to the mid-aughts.
2006: REVOLUTIONARY SUPPORT BRA
An example of Nike seeking to redefine support bras as a critical piece of equipment for women, this bra was test-worn by Olympic athletes. It was seamless and made of moisture-wicking Dri-FIT, and it offered customizable support features with an adjustable motion-control strap — all without the use of compression.
2006: NIKE SPEED CORSET
Originally designed for Nike’s fitness dance collection, this garment was adapted for match use by professional tennis players. Made from moisture-wicking Dri-FIT technology, it also featured an innovative ventilation system in the front and back for breathability.
2012: SHAPE BRA
As part of the Better World Initiative, a line of products using more sustainable materials, Nike released this sports bra made of 100 percent recycled polyester. The initiative included the creation of the Materials Sustainability Index, a tool used to help product teams assess materials and select footwear and apparel materials from suppliers that are more sustainability-minded.
2014: PRO FIERCE BRA
In 2012, Nike Women’s Training began researching innovation concepts for a key piece of women’s training apparel: the sports bra. Fabric, fit, sizing and athlete movement were all investigated during a two-year period, which resulted in the 2014 Pro collection. Along the way, Nike teamed up with researchers at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom to conduct more than 600 hours of biomechanical testing of female athletes in motion, both at Loughborough and the Nike Explore Team Sport Research Lab. One result: the Pro Fierce bra, which marked the beginning of bras being seen as truly vital for female athletes.
2015: WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COLLECTION
Nike debuts its first women’s basketball performance collection designed by women. Designers tapped premier players such as Elena Delle Donne and Sue Bird, along with the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team, for valuable insight. The resulting Elite Basketball collection included a contoured tank, lightweight and breathable shorts, a mesh-paneled hoodie and sweat-wicking pants.
2018: FLYKNIT BRA
When the FE/NOM Flyknit bra was released, it weighed 73 grams — 30 percent less than any other Nike bra. Featuring Flyknit, a high-tech yarn made from synthetic fiber, it was constructed with just one seam. Previously, high-support bras had as many as 40 parts and dozens of seams. The design went through 600 hours of biomechanical testing with athletes, and the outcome was a bra that reduced chafing and constriction and helped wick away sweat.
2018: PRO HIJAB
Designed to tackle the performance constraints of a traditional hijab in sport, this pull-on garment was constructed from durable single-layer Nike Pro cool mesh, one of Nike’s most breathable fabrics. The prototype was tested by weight lifter Amna Al Haddad, runner Manal Rostom and boxer Zeina Nassar. The Pro hijab helped advance the inclusive conversation around hijabs and supporting Muslim women in sports.
2019: VICTORY SWIM
Building on athletes’ passionate responses to the Nike Pro hijab, Nike designers created this groundbreaking collection that helped athletes of all backgrounds, body types, abilities and aspirations feel confident in the pool. The apparel, which included the Nike Victory full-coverage swimsuit along with swim-separate options — the Nike Victory swim hijab, the Nike Victory swim tunic top and the Nike Victory swim leggings — brought performance innovation to modest swimwear.
2019: WOMEN'S FOOTBALL KIT
Nike designed kits specifically for Women’s World Cup teams for the first time ahead of the FIFA tournament in France. Previously, women wore versions of the men’s uniforms. The objective: to deliver more innovative and compelling product design for women in football. A total of 14 teams received home and away kits, including England’s Lionesses. The teams’ kits were also designed with sustainability in mind — each national kit in the series was made of 12 recycled plastic bottles.
2022: ALATE BRA
Created in a wide range of sizes to accommodate every body and shape, this new line of bras introduces Nike Support-FIT innovation — smooth, lightweight materials that wick sweat and are designed for minimal and maximum support.