A waffle iron: The inspiration behind Nike’s first pair of shoes 

It was 1971. An ex-college runner, Phil Knight, and his coach, Bill Bowerman, started a small company known as Blue Ribbon Sports. What converted this small venture into a multibillion dollar sport company today was just one new product - a shoe with a waffle sole.  

The first pair of shoes 
On a Sunday in 1971, Bowerman was watching his wife, Barbara, make breakfast on a waffle iron when an idea struck. He noted the iron's grid-like pattern and he thought if the same pattern could be replicated on the sole of the shoe to make it sturdier.  

After experimenting with many substances, he finally figured it out. He swapped rubber for the batter, and the waffle outsole was born. He sewed the waffle sole to a pair of running shoes and gave it to one of his runners. It was a success. That’s how Nike got its first shoe nicknamed the 'Moon Shoe' which was made in a waffle iron.  

The journey to success  
Curious to know what happened after that? Well, then Nike launched its first shoe in 1972. The company was renamed Nike, Inc., in 1978 after the Greek winged goddess of victory.  

In 1985, it launched its first pair of Air Jordans in the market after collaborating with Michael Jordan, the undisputed star of basketball at that time, to counter the market leader, Adidas. This collaboration was insanely successful and Nike became a popular trend in the market. A new edition of the Nike shoe dropped every year of Jordan’s playing career.  

The company maintained its celebrity design collaborations as part of its business strategy. By the early 21st century, Nike had retail outlets and distributors in more than 170 countries, and its logo — a curved check mark called the “swoosh”— was recognised throughout the world. 

Nike Factfolio 

• Nike’s slogan ‘Just Do It’, which is now recognised all over the world, was inspired by American criminal Gary Gilmore’s last words. The serial killer said ‘Let’s do it’ before he was executed.  
• Phil Knight wanted to change the name to ‘Dimension 6’, but in the end, Nike was chosen. 
• Tinker Hatfield, shoe designer for Nike, created the Bat boot for the first Batman movie. Additionally, the hoverboarding shoes worn by Hollywood actor Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future: Part II were designed by Nike. 
• Many of the names of Nike’s products have been taken from sports teams. For example, ‘Columbia Blue’ is named after the ‘Columbia Lions’, a team that has a blue logo.