Why we are still attracted to the early Nike models.
Sneaker Journal" is a serialized project that takes up various events related to sneakers and delves into them from a fuinamic point of view. The theme this time is "Vintage Nike. Cortez, Waffle Trainers, Bruin ......In the 1970s, Nike, which had just been founded, produced a number of historical sneaker masterpieces. This was the era in which founder Phil Knight's autobiography, "Shoe Dog," became a bestseller in both Japan and the United States. Why were so many masterpieces created by Nike at that time? And why do they still fascinate so many people today? Mr. Takatoshi Akutagawa, a world-renowned collector of vintage Nikes, and Mr. Shinichiro Mitsuyuki, one of the organizers of "VINTAGE NIKE OTC MEETING," a gathering of Nike enthusiasts, will discuss the charm of early "Nike" from their respective perspectives.
Born in 1972, he is a creative director. In 2005, he published the book "BlueRIBBONS", a collection of his own vintage Nikes in one volume. The collection is currently stored at Nike's headquarters in Oregon, USA.
Right: Shinichiro Mitsuyuki
Born in 1962. Company employee. One of the organizers of the VINTAGE NIKE OTC MEETING, a gathering of Nike enthusiasts, he was also involved in the production of the sneaker book "Nike Chronicles" published in 2011 and "Nike Chronicles Deluxe" in 2016.
Rare items" with high market prices are more expensive than before.
The excitement of vintage Nikes seems to have calmed down compared to the boom days of the past. How is the market these days?
river in which worshippers wash their hands (and rinse their mouth) prior to entering a shrineI think the market for collections has reached a point of maturity. Although the market has declined from its peak, there are still many enthusiasts and a variety of vintage Nikes are still traded, mainly on the Internet.
full of banks (e.g. of a river)If anything, people overseas are more active in buying and selling than those in Japan. In particular, people in the Asian region are becoming more and more enthusiastic about it.
river in which worshippers wash their hands (and rinse their mouth) prior to entering a shrineThe trend is toward higher market prices, and the gap between those that are higher and those that are not seems to be widening more.
full of banks (e.g. of a river)In 2005, "BlueRIBBONS" by Mr. Akutagawa was published, and in 2011, "Nike Chronicle" was published, which I was involved in editing, and the whole picture of the early days of "Nike" became clear, so that everyone could understand what was really rare.
Akutagawa's 2005 book, BlueRIBBONS.
river in which worshippers wash their hands (and rinse their mouth) prior to entering a shrineThat's right. In the past, high prices were charged for easily recognizable iconic models such as "Sting" and "waffle trainers," but now the opposite is true. Prices for such iconic models have settled down, and high prices are charged for rare items with truly low production numbers.
Purchased super rare sneakers from a Jordanian for a large sum of money!
Do you two still collect vintage Nikes?
river in which worshippers wash their hands (and rinse their mouth) prior to entering a shrineI don't collect them anymore. After publishing BlueRIBBONS, I gave most of my collection to Nike's headquarters.
full of banks (e.g. of a river)I still check eBay and Yahoo! Auctions on an ongoing basis, though not as much as I used to, and I buy what I want when I see it.
What have you bought recently?
full of banks (e.g. of a river)As for the big one, about 3 years ago, I bought a "Blazer" with a shell toe from a Jordanian for a large sum of money. Here it is.
Reminiscent of the Adidas Superstar, the Blazer with shell toe (personal possession of Mr. Mitsuyuki).
river in which worshippers wash their hands (and rinse their mouth) prior to entering a shrineOh, this is a very rare ....... How did you get it?
I didn't know there was such a model. Or rather, why from the Jordanians!
full of banks (e.g. of a river)I saw it on my Facebook timeline and decided to contact them because I really wanted to get it, so I applied to be friends with them just for that reason (laughs), sent them a message, and after some negotiations, they gave it to me.
His passionate desire to surprise the world has given birth to many fascinating products.
The early Nike brand was born about 40 years ago. Why do you think it continues to attract so many people today?
full of banks (e.g. of a river)I collect not only sneakers, but also early Nike T-shirts and promotional materials. Not only were the designs cool, but the messages on the T-shirts were provocative, witty, and mischievous, and they were just fascinating as a product. Later, when I read Phil Knight's autobiography, "SHOE DOG," I came to understand that the early Nike products I liked were born from this kind of background.
river in which worshippers wash their hands (and rinse their mouth) prior to entering a shrineAs depicted in SHOE DOG, Nike in the 1970s and 1980s was still a challenger, not a leader. It was a challenger to the giant of the sports world, Adidas. Led by Phil Knight, Nike was making products with a passionate desire to make Adidas go away and to create products that would surprise the world. That is exactly what he was doing, without regard to business. I think that is why so many fascinating products were created.
SHOE DOG, the autobiography of Nike founder Phil Knight.
full of banks (e.g. of a river)Also, from the perspective of a collection object, many sneakers from the 1970s and 1980s do not hydrolyze due to the nature of their materials. This is an important point.
river in which worshippers wash their hands (and rinse their mouth) prior to entering a shrineThat's right. Modern sneakers are not collectible. There are some people who have collections of the latest bashes, but in another 10 years, most of them will be so worn out that they won't have any shape left. The only ones that will remain as antiques are those from the 1970s and 1980s.
full of banks (e.g. of a river)Among them, "Nike" made in Japan is of particularly high quality and is so beautiful that even today I fall in love with it.
Original "Leather Cortez Deluxe" from 1977 (Mr. Mitsuyuki's personal possession), in excellent condition, hard to believe they are nearly 40 years old. The back of the shoe tongue is marked "MADE IN JAPAN.
Not only sneakers, but why do collectors want to collect them in the first place?
river in which worshippers wash their hands (and rinse their mouth) prior to entering a shrineThe base is greed. It is no different from a child's desire for rare stickers. I also had a desire to compile them into a book.
full of banks (e.g. of a river)In my case, it's completely my greed or collecting habit; I like to collect T-shirts, sneakers, and anything else, and I have to complete the collection to feel satisfied.
river in which worshippers wash their hands (and rinse their mouth) prior to entering a shrineThere are many collectors in Europe and the United States, but the Japanese have a strong characteristic of wanting to reach the pinnacle of collecting. Once they start collecting, they are not satisfied until they have reached the top. That is why they become so absorbed in their collections.
What I think about "reprints" from a collector's point of view. From a collector's point of view.
What do you think about the reissue? It seems that many enthusiasts are critical of it.
river in which worshippers wash their hands (and rinse their mouth) prior to entering a shrineReprints, I think they are totally acceptable, though. Are there people who are critical of it?
full of banks (e.g. of a river)I used to be critical (laughs).
river in which worshippers wash their hands (and rinse their mouth) prior to entering a shrineIs that because my collection will be worth less?
full of banks (e.g. of a river)No, because the reprints were not good enough.
By "performance," do you mean in terms of reproducibility?
full of banks (e.g. of a river)Yes, it is. The reprints of the past were not faithful reproductions of the originals. Why is the swoosh shaped like this? Why is the NIKE on the heel in this font? Why does the side view have such a pocky shape? Why is the side view so poppy?
The "Waffle Trainers," a masterpiece created in 1975. The top is the original from that time, and the bottom is the reissued version released in 1991 (both are Mr. Mitsuyuki's personal belongings). You can see that the shape of the swoosh is completely different.
The "Sting" running shoe was created in 1976. From the bottom, the original released in 1976, the reissued version released in 2003, and a special order model by "Junya Watanabe Comme des Garçons Mann" released in 2006 (all personal belongings of Mr. Mitsuyuki).
Comparing the three pairs in this way, each has slightly different details, such as the shape of the swoosh, the treatment of the edge of the shoe tongue, and the logo on the heel.
full of banks (e.g. of a river)I was disappointed that if they were going to reissue them anyway, they should have faithfully reproduced them down to the smallest detail. Some of the reprints released after that were highly finished, though.
A Nike fanatic from the bottom of his heart speaks out against the current Nike!
By the way, what do you think about Nike these days?
river in which worshippers wash their hands (and rinse their mouth) prior to entering a shrineFrankly speaking, I feel that Nike's appeal is waning. In my opinion, the current Nike seems to be running on the principle of making money. I don't feel the challenging spirit of the days depicted in "SHOE DOG," or the old Nike-ism of making something amazing and surprising the world. Only marketing techniques have been established, and the strategy of "If we sell this kind of product in this way, people will pay for it" has become too obvious.
full of banks (e.g. of a river)I feel there is a lack of respect for the original. If the old ism still existed today, I think they would be more thorough when making reprints. Well, apart from that, I run as a hobby, and I buy the latest running shoes and clothes from Nike, and I think they make good products. I think they make good products. They are well made in terms of functionality.
river in which worshippers wash their hands (and rinse their mouth) prior to entering a shrineIt is true that you make good running gear.
full of banks (e.g. of a river)In terms of uniqueness as a fashion brand, I feel that it is no longer as attractive as it once was, but as a sports brand, including running, it remains a top company.
Eagerly awaiting the reissue of an unreprinted masterpiece, the Boston type!
Finally, are there any models that have not been reissued so far that you would like to see reissued?
river in which worshippers wash their hands (and rinse their mouth) prior to entering a shrineI guess I'd like to see a "Boston" type. I would like you to make a reprinted version with great attention to detail.
Originals of the Boston line (all personal belongings of Mr. Mitsuyuki). On the left is the "New Boston" (1977), and the two pairs on the right are the suede and nylon models of the "Aubori" (1972), which later changed its name to "Boston.
Yes, it is cool to see it now.
full of banks (e.g. of a river)I too would love to see them reissued. I'm looking forward to it, Nike.
