Nike

Nike, Inc. was founded in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by University of Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman and his former athlete Phil Knight. Operating initially as a distributor for Japanese shoemaker Onitsuka Tiger (now ASICS), the company sold shoes from the trunk of Knight's car at track meets. In 1971 the partnership ended and the company launched its own footwear line under the Nike name — inspired by the Greek goddess of victory — paired with Carolyn Davidson's iconic Swoosh logo, for which she was paid just $35.

Nike's breakthrough came with the 1974 Waffle Trainer, whose sole was famously created by Bowerman pouring rubber into his wife's waffle iron. The Air technology revolution followed in 1978, culminating in the 1987 Air Max 1 with its visible air cushioning — a design by Tinker Hatfield that changed athletic footwear forever. In 1984 Nike signed rookie Michael Jordan, launching the Air Jordan line that became the most successful athlete endorsement in sports history.

Today Nike is the world's largest sportswear brand, with annual revenue exceeding $50 billion. Its portfolio includes Jordan Brand and Converse, and its influence extends far beyond sport into streetwear, fashion, and culture. The brand's innovations — Flyknit, React foam, ZoomX, Vaporfly — continue to push the boundaries of performance while its collaborations with Virgil Abloh (Off-White), Travis Scott, and Sacai have made sneakers a central pillar of contemporary fashion.