Type | Sneakers |
---|---|
Inventor | Nike, Inc. |
Inception | 1973 |
Manufacturer | Nike |
Website | nike.com/blazers-shoes |
Nike Blazer is a sneaker manufactured by Nike. It was originally released in 1973 as a basketball shoe.
The Beaverton, Oregon-based brand named the design “Blazer” after its regional NBA team, the Portland Trail Blazers. [1] The original shoe was made out of three main components: the upper portion was made of leather, the tongue was made of nylon, and the midsole was made of rubber. [2] [3]
The Blazer was originally worn by NBA star George "The Iceman" Gervin.
Other sneaker manufacturers were developing their own basketball sneakers and basketball stars to market them. Competing collaborations included Julius Erving with Converse and Walt Frazier with Puma. [4] Nike, then known as Blue Ribbon Sports, rebranded in 1971. [1] The company was smaller and was competing with larger industry players via technology that was cutting-edge for basketball shoes at the time. [2] The Nike Blazer is still available in low-top and mid-top.
Although the Nike Blazer was created for basketball, it has become a part of the Nike Skateboarding (SB) sub-brand and is marketed towards the skateboarding community. [5]
In 2005, skateboarder Lance Mountain released the Nike Blazer SB, which was a design with new features such as a padded collar and insoles where Nike implemented their Zoom Air technology to accommodate skaters. The first Nike Blazer SB had a dark look with an all-black suede upper and a black midsole that was made thicker than in the original basketball shoe; the swoosh and laces were a baroque brown. [6]
The Nike Blazer has remained relevant in sneaker culture. This could be directly attributed to the numerous collaborations Nike has done with other clothing brands to create new Blazer colorways.
In 2002, Nike and Stüssy teamed up to release two Blazer colorways. One came in navy blue with a pink Nike swoosh, while the other was wolf grey with an emerald green swoosh. [7]
In 2008, the two companies released three new colorways of the Nike Blazer as a part of Stussy's Neighborhood Boneyard collection. This particular version of the Blazer featured a checkerboard on the upper portion of the shoe, which came in blue, red, and white versions. [7]
In April 2006, Nike and Supreme released three colorways of the Nike Blazer SB as the Blazer was being transformed into a skateboarding shoe: "Varsity Red", "Sail", and "Black". [8]
In September 2017, luxury fashion brand Off-White and Nike collaborated on "The Ten" Nike Blazer. This shoe has a white upper, a white and tan midsole, and a black swoosh. [9] The following year, Nike teamed up with Off-White and Serena Williams to create the "Queen". This shoe has a wolf grey upper, while the heel and tongue are white. Its mid-sole is pink and purple with a fade effect and a black swoosh. [10]
In October 2018, Nike and Off-White teamed up to create two new Nike Blazer shoes. The "All Hollows Eve" consists of a pale vanilla upper, while the swoosh is in bright yellow-orange. The "Grim Reaper" consists of a 'clone black' upper with a black midsole and upper toe, orange accents, and a white swoosh. [11]
In May 2019, Japanese luxury brand Sacai and Nike collaborated on the "Black Blue" and "Maize Navy" colorways of the Nike Blazer. [3] [12] In October, the two brands released the "White Grey" and "Black Grey" colorways. [13] [14]
In June 2019, Netflix teamed up with Nike to create the "Hawkins High" colorway of the Nike Blazer, which was inspired by the streaming series Stranger Things. The shoe was part of a three-sneaker collection that included the Nike Cortez and Tailwind. This sneaker has a very retro look, which suits the show's story line. It features an all white leather upper with a bright orange swoosh, white laces, and a white midsole. The entire shoe is highlighted by green accents on the tongue and heel. [15]
In July 2019, the two released another three-sneaker collection, this one featured the "OG Collection" Nike Blazer. This sneaker features an all royal blue suede upper that is accented by a white leather swoosh that complements the white mid-sole and heel. [16]
A three-sneaker collection in August 2019 included the "Upside Down" Blazer. This sneaker is made up of a light tan mesh/canvas upper and features a swoosh of the same color and material, making it hard to notice from afar. The shoe does feature a white midsole to match the white laces. [17]
Converse is an American lifestyle brand that markets, distributes, and licenses footwear, apparel, and accessories. Founded by Marquis Mills Converse in 1908 as the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in Malden, Massachusetts, it has been acquired by several companies before becoming a subsidiary of Nike, Inc. in 2003.
Nike Air Force is a range of athletic shoes made by Nike that began with Air Force 1. It was created by designer Bruce Kilgore and was the first basketball shoe to use Nike's "Air" technology. The shoe is offered in low-, mid- and high-top styles.
Air Jordan is a line of basketball shoes produced by Nike, Inc. Related apparel and accessories are marketed under Jordan Brand.
Skate shoes or skateboard shoes are a type of footwear specifically designed and manufactured for use in skateboarding. While numerous non-skaters choose to wear skate shoes as they are popular in fashion, the design of the skate shoe includes many features designed especially for use in skateboarding, including a vulcanized rubber or polyurethane sole with minimal tread pattern or no pattern, a composition leather or suede upper, and reinforced stitching to extend the life of the upper material. The most important aspect of skate shoes is that they have flat soles which allow the skater to have better board control.
Chuck Taylor All-Stars or Converse All Stars is a sneaker manufactured by Converse. Initially developed as a basketball shoe in the early 20th century, its design has remained largely unchanged since its introduction. The shoe consists of a stitched upper portion, and a toe cap and outsole usually made of rubber. Although Chuck Taylors are made of various materials such as leather or suede, the original and most widely known version is made from cotton canvas. The innovative detail of the original shoe was the "loose lining" of soft canvas that was intended to provide flexibility and prevent blisters.
Nike Air Max is a line of shoes produced by Nike, Inc., with the first model released in 1987. Air Max shoes are identified by their midsoles incorporating flexible urethane pouches filled with pressurized gas, visible from the exterior of the shoe and intended to provide cushioning to the underfoot. Air Max was conceptualized by Tinker Hatfield, who initially worked for Nike designing stores.
Streetwear is a style of casual clothing which became global in the 1990s. It grew from New York hip hop fashion and Californian surf culture to encompass elements of sportswear, punk, skateboarding, 1980s nostalgia, and Japanese street fashion. Later, haute couture became an influence, and was in turn influenced by streetwear. Streetwear centers on comfortable clothing and accessories such as jeans, T-shirts, baseball caps, and sneakers. Brands may create exclusivity through intentional product scarcity; enthusiasts follow particular brands and try to obtain limited edition releases, including via proxy purchases.
Nike Skateboarding, primarily known as Nike SB, is the Nike brand for its line of shoes, clothing, and equipment for skateboarding. Nike Skateboarding won the 2020 Webby People’s Voice Award for Best Home/Welcome Page in the category Web.
Nike Shox is a support system feature in several of Nike's flagship sneakers, first released in 2000. The design is an arrangement of primarily polyurethane hollow columns in the midsole supporting the shoe's heel. Most models include four circular columns in a square formation to provide stability. Later variations sometimes added additional columns, or changed to triangular or rectangular formations.
Sneaker collecting is the acquisition and trading of sneakers as a hobby. It is often manifested by the use and collection of shoes made for particular sports, particularly basketball and skateboarding. A person involved in sneaker collecting is sometimes called a sneakerhead.
Reebok Classic is a lifestyle shoe brand that consists of athletic shoes that became popular casual wear. The brand evolved from the Classic Leather, the Workout, the Ex-O-Fit, the Newport Classic and the Freestyle. Reebok Classic also includes Retro Running, Retro Basketball, InstaPump Fury and contemporary styles.
The following is a timeline of notable events in the history of Nike, Inc.
Onitsuka Tiger is a Japanese sports fashion brand started in 1949 by Onitsuka Shōkai, a sports shoes company founded by Kihachiro Onitsuka. Onitsuka Shōkai changed its name to Onitsuka Co., Ltd. before becoming Asics Corporation in 1977. Since 1977, Onitsuka Tiger has been sold as a lifestyle brand of Asics.
Nike, Inc. is an American athletic footwear and apparel corporation headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, United States. It is the world's largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, with revenue in excess of US$46 billion in its fiscal year 2022.
The Nike Air Yeezy is an official sneakers collaboration project between Nike and Kanye West, launched in 2009. Notable as the shoe brand's first non-athlete full collaboration, the project has released two editions: the "Air Yeezy" (2009) and the "Air Yeezy II".
Reebok Ventilator is a line of athletic shoes by Reebok. The footwear was first introduced in 1990 as a lightweight sneaker with vented side panels. The Ventilators focused on "breathability" with bold colored silhouette. Originally popular in the '90s, the Reebok Ventilator has been released in different styles throughout the years and is still in production.
Nike Dunk is a line of shoes released by Nike in 1985. Originally released as a basketball shoe, the popularity of the shoe among the skating community also led to the creation of a variant used for skateboarding. The shoe is offered in low-, mid- and high-top styles.
Adidas Yeezy was a fashion collaboration between American rapper, designer, and entrepreneur Kanye West and German sportswear company Adidas. It offered sneakers in limited edition colorways, as well as shirts, jackets, track pants, socks, slides, lingerie and slippers. The first shoe model was released in February 2015. In 2020 Forbes described Yeezy's rise as "one of the great retail stories of the century". Yeezy influenced and inspired a multitude of other fashion brands. Outside of the former Adidas collaboration, Yeezy is the name of Kanye's company Yeezy LLC and is not connected to Adidas.
Nike and Off-White: "The Ten" was a sneakers collaboration between Nike and Off-White in 2017. It initially involved the deconstruction of ten iconic Nike silhouettes, designed by Founder and CEO of Off-White, Virgil Abloh. The ten shoes were individually broken down by Abloh, and then rebuilt with a different design and rearranged components. The collaboration sold out and the shoes became highly sought after. Further additions to this collaboration were then added throughout 2018 and 2019 which included endorsements from athletes and celebrities but are not included in the original "ten".
Space Hippie is a line of sneakers by Nike engineered from recycled materials, released by the company in 2020.