In 1971, Carolyn Davidson was studying graphic design at Portland State University. Two years earlier, in 1969, she met Phil Knight, who as an assistant professor and would go on to found Blue Ribbon Sports with track coach Bill Bowerman. Knight knew Davidson was looking for ways to fund some additional art classes, so he asked her to assist him with some projects.
As Bowerman and Knight abandoned Blue Ribbon Sports and founded Nike, Knight asked Davidson to design a horizontal logo that would stand out on the side of their shoes. Davidson turned to Nike’s namesake, the Greek Goddess of Victory, and began focusing on her wings. From this, the iconic Swoosh was born.
Honoring an icon
Nike visits its history for the “Evolution of Swoosh” collection. The collection consists of three distinct sneaker packs, all sporting different variations of Swooshes from the sportswear giant’s heritage.
Offered in the ‘Script Swoosh,’ ‘Sunburst’ and ‘Swoosh Chain’ packs, ‘Evolution of Swoosh’ contains classic silhouettes with a variety of thematic remixes. Each pack includes the iconic Air Force 1, Air Max Plus, and Air Max 97.
The grade-school only ‘Swoosh Chain’ pack transports us back to the groovy days of the 1970s with era-appropriate colors such as blue, orange, and red, plus multicolored Swoosh taping that pays homage to track suits of the ’70s.
The ‘Script Swoosh’ pack takes the original Swoosh design and plants it atop included sneakers. For now, you can see that the Air Force 1, Air Max 97 and Air Max Plus all sport monochrome white uppers and black accents, with pops of red. Vintage Nike branding, sparse graphic accents with ripstop and suede textiles appear on each of the shoes, giving the minimalist colorways a bit of personality.
‘Sunburst’ collection borrows from Nike’s 1972 branding, when the company expanded to in-house apparel. Circular logos were all the rage because they allowed designers to create arched club names to surround them, making it a natural choice for sports teams.
The Swoosh has always been at the intersection of sport and style. Boys and girls can rock the look of this iconic logo at school, on the playground, or just hanging out at home. Check out the nostalgic ‘Evolution of Swoosh’ packs right here at Kids Foot Locker and show the world your love for the Swoosh.
