In sneakers we trust! Nike: Form Follows Motion is an exhibition to see 

Once a sneaker girl, always a sneaker girl. And even I couldn’t see Michael Jordan playing, live, I got the next best thing 🙂 a wonderful visit into the history of Nike brand. And that was a perfect opportunity to remind me of… me, that adolescent that had more sneakers than high heels and spent her free time not shopping, but on a basketball field. Of course I couldn’t miss the opportunity to see the biggest and newest exhibition “Nike: Form Follows Motion” at Vitra Design Museum.

#FashionBlogger #FashionTrend #Exhibition #English

âNike: Form Follows Motion, at Vitra Design Museum – until 18th of May 2025 – www.vitradesignmuseum.com @sporttimero @nike 

About the exhibition… 

It explores the company’s five-decade ascent from a grassroots start-up to a global phenomenon. The focus is on Nike’s design history: from the company’s beginnings in the 1960s and the design of its famous “swoosh” logo, to iconic products such as Air Max and Flyknit, and current research devoted to future materials and sustainability. Most of the exhibits are sourced from the Department of Nike Archives (DNA), the company’s own archive, which comprises more than 200,000 items.

About the beginnings of Nike brand… 

Nike, named after the Greek goddess of victory, has become the world’s leading sports brand since its incorporation in 1972. Today, it is also the world’s largest apparel company, with an annual revenue of more than 50 billion dollars. 

4 different sections were there to see 

1. “Track” – about the Nike archive’s earliest holdings. The company was founded by two men: Phil Knight, who had been a runner in college, and his former coach Bill Bowerman. In this part of the exhibition, visitors will encounter stories from the brand’s earliest days, such as the development of the first Waffle Sole in Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman’s kitchen or the story of the Tennessee State University Tigerbelles, a team of black female athletes during the civil rights era in the United States. It was 1972 when American graphic designer Carolyn Davidson developed the Swoosh for Nike’s co-founders today, one of the most recognizable logos in the world (she was paid with only 35 dollars at that time). 

2. “Air” – looks at the 1980s, when Nike achieved take-off. Through endorsements with athletes like Michael Jordan (in 1984 was the launch of the first Air Jordan shoe), Serena Williams, and LeBron James, the company established itself as a prime mover in popular culture. At the same time, the company was investing in a new technology: capsules of pressurized gas that provided cushioning without adding weight. Initially concealed inside footwear soles, Nike Air was first made visible in the 1987 Air Max. In the exhibition, the fascinating evolution of the Air sole is illustrated with numerous artefacts from the initial development process, including air bag prototypes and a testing machine created by engineer Frank Rudy.  

3. “Sensation”, explains some of the research and development behind Nike’s designs. Visitors get an insight into the heart of the Nike Sport Research Lab, one of the world’s largest and most advanced facilities for the study of the body in motion. Since the 1990s, this technical research has increasingly focused on the advancing athletic potential, leading to products like the Nike Free, which simulates the feel of barefoot running, or the Vaporfly

4. In Room 4 – Nike’s collaborations with external designers, athletes, and its own public – from Virgil Abloh, Riccardo Tisci or Off White and Sacai.  

Photography: www.dreamingof.net