“What was great about Penny was that he was always expressive and always willing to push the limits in terms of aesthetics and expression.”- Eric Avar
How do you cater to the player who can’t be defined by an existing category? You create a new lane. Penny’s Hardaway’s strength and athleticism preempted a contemporary style — so much so that his debut Nike signature model, the Nike Air Penny, birthed the Uptempo line. Speed and strength couldn’t be pinned down to a solitary technology, so Penny got a pair of performance aids — a Max Air bag for impact protection and the newly-developed Tensile Air, later renamed Zoom Air, for court feel. The former at the rear and the latter at the front delivered the best of both worlds for a proven combination that’s echoed in contemporary Nike Basketball designs. That 1Cent logo and crystal swoosh exuded confidence, hinting that this was just the start of a relationship rooted in expression and experimentation.
“She was not a girly girl. She was tough and needed her shoe to be agile and responsive, so that is what we designed.”- Marni Gerber
How much more did Sheryl Swoopes need to do to prove she deserved a shoe of her own? Scoring records for days and plenty of double-doubles before she was out of college earmarked her as the finest women’s basketball player of her era. As a new league dawned in which she would shine, Sheryl was the first female player to get her own signature model. For too long, female players made do with takedowns of men’s models or fell victim to the industry’s shrink and pink afterthought approach to the market. The Nike Air Swoopes was developed with Sheryl’s close assistance, ensuring it catered to the female foot and Her Airness’ needs. The design merged great traction with agility, a rugged black Durabuck, a distinctive midfoot stability strap that cradled the foot, a contrasting color blocking strategy for maximum visibility and Nike Air in the heel and forefoot. The result was an uncompromising blend of support, performance and style.
“I think generally, the mid ‘90s were just a bigger-than-life time.”- Wilson Smith
Sometimes less isn’t more — logic is restored, and more is more. The Nike Air More Uptempo took branding to new heights to match an unprecedented application of Nike Air that ran from the toe to the heel. Inspired by the oversized objects in pop art, graffiti on the side of trains and an architectural project he’d worked on, lead designer Wilson Smith worked ‘AIR’ into that upper to drive the point home. In 1996, cars were big and jeans were big. The Nike Air More Uptempo was an extension of the environment. Ideal for the vertical player who needed the lockdown and abundance of cushioning, the Nike Air More Uptempo became Scottie Pippen’s shoe of choice and was showcased on a global stage that summer in iconic USA colors.
“There was no brief —it was pure experimentation.”- Eric Avar
The Nike Air Foamposite One is a shoe that opened minds and assisted a generation of players. What many don’t know is that it was inspired by sunglass protection. During a meeting with Advanced Product Engineering (A.P.E.), a molded sunglass case on the table became a focal point. Made of EVA foam with a fabric cover, the case was lightweight, but it had structure and form. That inspiration was just the start of a three-year endeavor to develop and refine manufacturing techniques that could reach that end goal. It was a total team effort of designers, developers and engineers. A poured PU envelope would create a seamless fluid structure. Add the performance attributes of Nike’s best basketball footwear at the time and you had a radical departure in design — a high-performing shoe with an unorthodox appearance. Picked out by Penny Hardaway himself, an unorthodox icon was born. Adding iridescent colors to the Foamposite was a logical step in the bold new process, showcasing the dimensions of the shoe and its seamless build.
