Nike, Air Jordan 1 Designer and adidas Pioneer Peter Moore Has Passed Away

It has sadly been confirmed that former Nike and adidas executive Peter Moore has passed away aged 78.

Moore is best known for designing some of the Swoosh’s most important models – the Air Jordan 1 and Dunk – as well as devising the former’s ‘Wings’ logo in the early 1980s. This trademark then went on to launch what would eventually become the Jordan Brand and one of Nike’s best sellers today. Not to mention the current repeated success of his other famous design in the Dunk. He first worked with Nike in 1977 via his design agency, before joining the brand as its first ever creative director in 1983.

After Moore and Rob Strasser – another late industry legend equally instrumental in Nike and Jordan’s rise in the 80s – left the company in 1987, they were recruited by adidas in America to work the same magic they did at the Swoosh. Together they launched the adidas Equipment ( EQT) category, spawning a new cutting-edge performance image for the brand, and a line of products still coveted by sneakerheads today. Moore, a designer at heart, also used this opportunity to create a new three-striped logo – the same one the brand is using to this day. He left adidas in 1998 to focus on his lifelong passion for art and printmaking.

As tributes from brands and industry figures pour in, adidas have left one of the most heartfelt:

‘Peter Moore,

You took a chance on us.
You always believed in possibilities.
You changed us forever.

Thank you for showing us the future. We are forever grateful. You’ll be missed by all of us.

Love,
Your adidas family’

Rest in peace, Peter Moore.