Jordan Brand Great Frank Cooke Returns to Nike

“I'm not saying I'm the one y’all trust to do it… but I'm going to attempt to restore the feeling, be considerate of the current state of the industry, and have a whole lot of fun while doing it.” It was with these words that legendary figure, Frank Cooke announced his return to on Friday. Cooke left Jordan Brand in 2018 after a stint that included projects such as the , the coveted , and the His achievements at Jordan Brand also include working with the team that brought us the , and the team that worked with Virgil Abloh on some of the details of the With a resume like this, there’s no disputing Cooke’s eye for sneaker culture. To fully understand his story we need to go back to the early days where it all began.

Cooke got his start in the sneaker industry at first as a buyer and eventually becoming the creative director. However, his connection with sneakers started long before this. At fourteen, he began working at his local Footaction. Later, he interned with Nike in ‘06 and ‘07. The love and passion for sneakers is deeply rooted in Cooke’s life. As one who has been around the culture for so long, the hope in Beaverton is that he can bring that energy back to the Swoosh. The news of Cooke’s rejoining Nike comes on the heels of long time veteran . There has been much discourse surrounding Nike’s declining sales of late, the return of former Swoosh and Jumpman greats aims to reinvigorate the brand’s performance.

In his statement, Cooke laid out his roadmap for Nike’s next chapter. He is known for his authentic connection to the culture and the storytelling he brings to the projects he touches. One pillar of his plan is embracing where the industry is today. During his time away from Jordan Brand he did freelance work and a stint as Creative Director of . In this time he contributed to the growth of and He has a read on the pulse of the industry and his soft stance toward the new avenues sneaker culture has developed could be just what Nike needs. Cooke also said he wants to have fun, since sneakers are after all a shared hobby and love. With this new role in creative leadership, his talent will be invaluable to Nike’s climb back, could this be what they’ve been missing?