Take an Inside Look at Nike’s Archive and R&D Facilities

Back in August, we reported on the first-of-its-kind exhibition titled at the Vitra Design Museum in Germany. Alongside the gallery showing, which ends in May next year, is a book that photographer Alastair Philip Wiper has created to show off an inside look at archive and their manufacturing and R&D facilities at their Beaverton, Oregon campus. Ahead of the book's release, Wiper has previewed stacks of imagery that give a rare look at the inner workings of the biggest sportswear brand in the world.

The tour kicks off in the Nike Advanced Product Creation Centre, aka APCC, which is an ultra-secret facility that allows Team Swoosh’s design team to create rapid prototypes. Pictured above is some of the zany mechanical goings on such as 3D-printed prototypes and a UV oven for curing primed outsoles.

The tour continues with the famous Innovation Centre, which houses the legendary NSRL (Nike Sport Research Lab). You can probably guess what goes down here – athletes are tested in various conditions, helping with performance footwear and clothing innovation. Within the centre is a full-size basketball court, 200-metre track and 100-metre incline ramp. There are various tests that can be done here, including sensory and cognitive mind exercises to understand the brain of high performance athletes.

It’s not surprising that Nike holds over 500 patents on innovation, which is all done in their facility dubbed Air Manufacturing Innovation, aka Air MI. Air is still a mega part of Nike’s catalogue and has been since the 1970s, with continued innovative work continuing until this day.

Co-founder is still a strong presence at the Beaverton campus, even having the Bowerman Foot Lab named after him. This laboratory allows the boffins to craft and test new designs with machines. Designers, athletes and engineers all work together at the BFL, which houses various moulds and testing devices to get the optimum tech specs.

The legendary DNA or Department of Nike Archives was the final stop, where Wiper shot his imagery for the Nike: Form Follows Motion exhibition. Plenty of unicorn grails are obviously held within these vaulted shelves, like game-worn pairs from , and . The OG was spotted and so was the 1996 Swooshman costume. Other gems include headshots of and the 1972 Swoosh trademark.

Find out more about the Nike: Form Follows Motion exhibition at Vitra !