The Art of Motion

04/09/2024 - What began as a small start-up focused on performance has become a global powerhouse driven by design. Vitra's exhibition 'Nike: Form Follows Motion' takes visitors on a journey through five decades of the brand's evolution, from the iconic Waffle Sole to today's cutting-edge materials and technologies. It is a story told through the lens of design and movement, illustrating how a focus on the needs of athletes has led to some of the most groundbreaking innovations in sport and style. The exhibition also highlights the brand's collaborations and how they have redefined the world's perception of the human body in motion. 

Selected material from the Department of Nike Archives (DNA), comprising more than 200,000 items, will be presented to the public for the first time at Vitra, including prototypes and design studies.

Mateo Kries, Director of the Vitra Design Museum: "For a long time, we have wanted to organise an exhibition on design and sports. When we approached Nike, we learned more about their incredible design archive — a huge treasure that had never been presented in an exhibition. That was how the idea of this exhibition was born. The show offers a unique opportunity to focus on design through the lens of a single brand, and to display fascinating objects that illustrate the process of design development — some of which have never been shown before." Each of the exhibition's four chronological sections focuses on a specific era in Nike's history. The first, "Track", takes visitors back to the formative years that laid the foundation for a brand philosophy of designing around the needs of athletes. The section includes the story of the invention of the waffle sole in Bill Bowerman's kitchen and the promotion of products at track meets.

The second, "Air", revolves around the development of the game-changing technology, from its beginnings as an invisible insole to the transparent Nike Air Max, which revolutionised performance and cemented Nike's place in popular culture. "Sensation" explores Nike's research in body mechanics, materials science, and sustainability, showing how Nike's commitment to performance has led to innovations like Flyknit and Vaporfly that optimise athletic potential and address environmental concerns. This confluence of performance, sustainability and aesthetics continues to influence contemporary design culture and product development.

The final section explores Nike's collaborations with designers and their role role in shaping global culture through partnerships with icons such as Virgil Abloh, as well as grassroots movements in street culture, revealing how Nike's reach extends far beyond sport into narratives of diversity, equality and creative expression, positioning the brand as an agent of cultural change. The exhibition's curator, Glenn Adamson, observed, "In addition to our interest in the evolution of iconic products, we will look at the larger social and historical context surrounding Nike. Over the past 50 years, sport has had a tremendous impact on our perception of the human body, beyond the track and the court — for example, on conceptions of gender roles. Our exhibition will show how the company has both instigated and responded to these changing dynamics, from its initial emphasis on performance and optimisation to greater diversity and inclusion. By looking at Nike's design strategies, we gain insights into that bigger cultural picture."

Vitra on Archiproducts.com