Since 1972, Nike has been making an appearance in people’s outfits from pants to shirts to shoes. Shoes are being idolized and selling out very quickly, leaving the random sizes to go for extreme prices. Celebrities have collaborated with Nike over the years to make new colors and styles of shoes, such as Travis Scott, Billie Elish, and the infamous Micheal Jordan. The rare and most popular of them all is the brand Off-White that made shoes with Nike including Nike Dunks, Nike Waffle Racers, and Air Force 1’s. The reason Nike is so popular is that they manufacture high-quality shoes that are good-looking. Shoes have become prized possessions now and are making their appearance more frequent in the world including our school, “sneakers are my favorite thing in this world. I get my shoes on StockX, with my favorite shoe being either a Jordan 1 or a Jordan 4. I like styling them with cargo pants with a style influence from my favorite rapper Travis Scott,” said Juan Campos (22). According to Jordans Daily by Sneaker News, the company, Nike, founded its name from the Greek goddess of victory, as the brand calls itself the ‘Winged Goddess of Victory’, but before was called Blue Ribbon Sports. The ‘swoosh’ is considered the wing of the goddess, and the orange symbol/boxes came from the founder wanting the brand to stand out from others.

    Bill Bowerman, the founder of Nike, created the company while being the Track and Field coach at the University of Oregon along with his student Phil Knight in 1964. It wasn’t until the 1980s when the company took a high point and was near the top of the sportswear market. The popularity came from using Nike as a sportswear brand but also started to take the role of a streetwear brand. Knight took the business over when Bowerman died in 1999 and is now ranked the 24th richest person in the Forbes Magazine with a net worth of $50.7 billion. Over the years, different things have inspired Nike to make certain shoes, such as the waffle shoe, when Bill Bowerman’s wife once took a waffle iron and placed it against the sole of the shoe, burning the pattern into the bottom. Her idea was to help runners improve speed, so 12 pairs were made for the Olympic trials in 1972. The waffle on the shoe was to replace modern-day spikes that give track shoes the grasp they need. The shoe was also ideal for cross country, in which spikes aren’t allowed in so the waffles of the shoe would give the runner more traction. The first pair was for running, but now the waffle shoes have turned into a lifestyle type of shoe rather than to workout or run in.

     A lot of students around EHS take their shoe game very seriously such as Ashtyn Black (23), I get most of my shoes online on Nike or StockX. It depends on the shoe for how I am going to style it, as you can style it very differently, such as dressing them up or down. But overall, my favorite shoes are my Jordan 1s,” she said. Nike has come a long and far away from when they first started their company and it is going to be interesting what the future holds for them. Well, Nike is already in the future and is making virtual sneakers for the metaverse. Featuring downloadable computer programs including footwear, clothing, headwear, eyewear, sports bags, backpacks, sports equipment, and accessories for use in the online world. This is similar to trading cards, but with valuable shoes, from Nike and it is all digitally available. Pretty crazy to think a cool shoe will have its valuable trading card online. Many of the older generations and the running generation, millennials, think that this is not smart and makes people lost in the world. But, it is inventive and it can create opportunities for those that have the interest. Who would have thought that a breakfast food appliance would have made shoes for the olympics to then be put onto a virtual trading card? It is fascinating how technology and creativity has taken over the future, for the good in this case.