Nike’s Secret Archive: A Rare Look Inside the Department of Nike Archives
As the Sprinter van rolled into the parking lot of a nondescript office building in Beaverton, Oregon, the journalists inside were filled with confusion. This was supposed to be the legendary Nike global headquarters? Where were the iconic lake, athlete-named buildings, and bustling pathways filled with employees on Swoosh-branded bikes?
But as a quick fact was revealed, the fog of confusion lifted. The Department of Nike Archives (D-NA for short) was not actually located on the Nike campus. Instead, it was a few blocks away and intentionally designed to blend in with its surroundings. As the saying goes, it’s what’s on the inside that counts, and inside this unassuming building lies a treasure trove: Nike and Jordan Brand’s entire archive.
It’s a rare opportunity for outsiders to be granted access to D-NA. However, a select group of media members were allowed to enter through the gates and into the building to get a hands-on experience with Jordan Brand’s “Rare Air” collection. This collection includes the highly anticipated “Rare Air” Air Jordan 3, Air Jordan 4, Air Jordan 11, and accompanying apparel line. The collection is backed by a wealth of archival gems, from Michael Jordan’s personal player exclusives to perfectly preserved Nike catalogs from the 1980s that served as direct inspiration for the designs.
The “Rare Air” concept was originally created for a single Air Jordan 1 pack, but it received such overwhelming support within the company that it evolved into a full line. The footwear and apparel draw inspiration from the original design process for Jordan Brand’s iconic silhouettes in the late 1980s. This involved a back-and-forth collaboration between the brand and its suppliers, with multiple rounds of revisions leading to the final retail design. The collection pays homage to this process through subtle design details that only true sneakerheads will appreciate, such as nods to the imperfect sampling process and references to Rare Air, a mid-1990s magazine that offered an intimate look into Michael Jordan’s life during his first retirement from the NBA.
According to Terrance Harvey, Jordan Brand’s senior manager of global footwear, the goal was to create items that felt like something MJ would have worn or played in during the 1980s. This is evident in the “Rare Air” Air Jordan 3, which features flipped Nike Air branding on the heel tabs, suede and nubuck materials instead of the classic elephant print, and artificially aged midsoles. Other “Rare Air” silhouettes, such as the Air Jordan 4 and Air Jordan 11, also have their own unique surprises waiting to be discovered. The Air Jordan 4, for example, has multiple Velcro-backed tongue tags for personalization options, and a small percentage of the retail release pairs will feature gold text on the Velcro.
