If you’re a fan of sneakers, chances are you have owned at least one pair of Nike in your life. There’s something about this brand that people love. They are comfortable, easy to wear and meet both style, design and the needs of athletes. Nike sneakers are great for anything from walking, hiking, and running, to simple roaming around town. If you’re looking to buy Nike shoes and don’t know which model to get next, here are a few suggestions that may help you make up your mind. Before we jump to the all-time popular models, here’s a brief history of these shoes.
History
The story begins when Bill Bowerman and Phill Knight joined forces together. Bowerman was a track and field coach at The University of Oregon and Knight was his previous student. Bowerman loved the idea of optimising athletic footwear and running shoes for performance, so he started tinkering with various models after picking up some tricks and tips from a local cobbler. On January 25th 1964, Bowerman and Knight decided to found Blue Ribbon Sports, a Eugene Oregon-based footwear company. For many years the company operated out the back of a car at track meets.
Then the company started working as a distributor of various imported shoes, mainly Onitsuka Tiger. Knight loved the quality of these shoes and saw them as a breath of fresh air, compared to the mainly German athletic footwear that was domineering the market. Knight and Bowerman were Ontisuka’s sole distributors in the US before a rise in competition led the two men to think of various ideas for conquering the market. In 1971 Nike was born and prepared to launch its trainer.
The Name
The company changed the name of Blue Ribbon Sports to Nike; the idea for the name belongs to the company’s ever first employee, Jess Johnson. The iconic log was designed by Carolyn Davidson, a student at Portland University (this was done when the company still had no name). Johnson suggested the name Nike after the winged Greek goddess of victory. The rest is history.
First Nike Shoe
The very first Nike sneakers were nicknamed the “Moon Shoe” and were made in Bowerman’s waffle iron. This waffle sole design happened after Bill Bowerman was eating breakfast and wondering if the grooves in his waffle could work for more traction when playing sports. After a few test runs of the waffle iron, the Waffle Trainer was born. Surprisingly it found almost immediate success thanks to its grippy and performance-driven design. The prototype model is considered to be the first Nike shoe. It was sold at Sotheby’s for almost $450,000.
The Most Popular Nike Shoes
Air Force 1
The classic Air Force 1 is perhaps one of the most (consistently) popular Nike of all time and one of the best sneakers ever made for collectors. Comfortable, good-looking and unisex, the Air Force 1 can be worn with almost any outfit and for almost any occasion.
You can come across many limited editions, collabs, retros or premium pairs, but nothing beats the classic entirely black or white Nike shoes. The great thing about this design is that they are quite affordable, which makes them popular with many people.
Air Jordan 1
This is perhaps one of the most (if not the most) hyped-up Nike shoes. From time to time they tend to get a little break when it comes to popularity, but the Air Jordan 1s are practically a classic. Collectors and sneaker fans are big of this model, so if you wonder what Nike shoes to get, they would unanimously say Air Jordan 1s. Choose from a wide range of colours and mid and cut models
Nike Dunk
The Nike Dunk is another popular choice. You can find it in many variations such as limited edition collabs, retro or OG colours from 1985 or a random general release. The dunks are still popular shoes, even in 2022. If you’re a first-time buyer stick to basic colours such as black-white, white-red, and white-blue combos. But if you’re feeling like adding a splash of colour to your life, feel free to choose a model with several colours.
These are great for both men and women and will give you the extra-urban vibe your outfit needs. Perfect with simple outfits such as jeans and t-shirts, but also excellent with something more chick and fashionable such as dresses, trousers and crop tops, the Nike Dunks are a good treat that is a bit more expensive than the Air Force 1.
Nike Waffle One
Nike Waffle One is one of the most searched models of shoes at the moment. Their design is partially designed on the Waffle Trainer 2 but upgraded. You can find numerous colours, but they get their charm from the retro look. Perfect for running, you can also wear them for your urban strolls, for classes, and even for work (of course if there’s no special dress code). Did I mention they’re affordable as well? Because their price is another extra thing that makes them so wanted and popular.
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