Nike Archives | Moss and Fog

Design

Nike’s Mind Body Shoes are the Brand’s First Neuroscience-Based Footwear

October 27, 2025 Design

Nike has had a rough couple of years, but it’s doubling down on technology and innovation to drive the brand. Take their latest effort, which is a strange, fascinating experiment in neuroscience.

Close-up of the sole of a gray Nike shoe featuring round orange accents against a bright orange background.

The Mind 001 and Mind 002 come from Nike’s new Mind Science Department, a team apparently tasked with exploring how your feet might talk to your brain.

Both look like something you might wear to an avant-garde yoga class on Mars.

An art installation featuring a futuristic display of shoes labeled 'Nike Mind 001' under purple lighting, with multiple overhead lights and colorful imagery on the walls.

At a glance, they look simple, almost zen. But inside, there’s a quiet army of 22 independent foam pods designed to wiggle and shift with every step.

A side view of a bright red Nike slide featuring a unique textured surface and an arching design.

The idea is that these micro-movements send tiny signals through your body, helping your brain feel calmer and more focused.

In other words, shoes that claim to chill you out while you move.

It’s equal parts sci-fi and spa treatment.

Nike says the sensation is meant to “anchor” you in the present moment, like a form of mindfulness that starts at your soles. It’s an odd but intriguing idea.

Could footwear actually help regulate mental state? Could your running shoes double as meditation tools?

The Mind 001 is a minimal mule, while the Mind 002 takes on a more traditional sneaker form. Both look like something you might wear to an avant-garde yoga class on Mars.

They’re set to debut in early 2026, leaving plenty of time for skeptics and dreamers alike to wonder if this is hype or the beginning of a new kind of performance gear.

A low-angle view of a person wearing white athletic wear, showcasing the bright pink sole of their Nike shoes with orange accents.

The first two models will be released in early 2026, with more models coming soon after.

A pair of bright pink Nike slides featuring a textured surface for grip and comfort.

Four perspectives of modern athletic shoes, featuring a red and gray design with orange accents, showcasing unique sole patterns.

Bottom view of a red Nike shoe with a textured sole featuring orange accent dots.

A person walking in a white athletic outfit paired with bright red Nike slip-on shoes.

Close-up of the sole of a gray athletic shoe with bright orange accents against a solid orange background.

A pair of gray Nike sneakers with a perforated design and a contrasting orange sole, displayed against a bright orange background.

Gray Nike sneakers featuring a textured design and orange sole, displayed against a bright orange background.

Craft

Nike’s Wild, Scavenged, Improvised Road Warrior Shoes

July 14, 2020 Craft

One person’s ugly is another person’s innovative, right? We have always been fascinated with footwear design that pushes the boundaries, and these newly released Nike ISPA Road Warrior shoes demonstrate all sorts of design and technology boundary-pushing.

As part of their ISPA (Improvise, Scavenge, Protect, Adapt) line, Nike experiments with unique approaches to materials, re-use and innovation.

And while we find them to be fascinating, it’s clear their design went in the direction of “weird is good”, from the Japanese Tabi split-toes to the soles, which look like a Star Wars Empire ship, the look is highly polarizing.

Available this month for $500.

The Road Warrior scavenges innovation from many different places: basketball, training, running, outdoor apparel. The goal was to build a piece of footwear that can thrive in urban environments. All of these performance innovations live in harmony, providing comfort, protection, and durability.

The Road Warrior references the pioneering design of the 2-hour marathon breaking Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next% and the energy return of the Nike Air Zoom BB NXT. The open floating heel borrows from early Nike Shox prototypes, but shifts from the boing boing effect of the pillars to incorporate double stack zoom pods and double under foot plates.

Branding/Identity

Nike’s Space Hippie Shoes, Made From Recycled Scraps, Are the Most Sustainable Nikes Ever Made

February 7, 2020 Branding/Identity

First off, amazing name. We conjure up a sweet, patchouli-scented astronaut with a title like Space Hippie. Second, Nike is committed to improving their carbon footprint and the way they use their materials, case in point being their tagline for this line of shoes: Trash Transformed.

In their video around the line of shoes, Nike explains that they equated their mission with the “In situ resource utilization”, a concept that NASA uses in space. Basically, astronauts have to use whatever resources they have with them, as there is no resupply mission at their disposal. Similarly, Earth doesn’t have a resupply mission either, so we need to start using what is around us, versus all-new, virgin materials.

With that in mind, Nike’s knit uppers are made up of at least 85% rPoly made from recycled plastic water bottles, t-shirts and yarn scraps. They call it “space waste yarn”. Similarly, their soles are made up of rubber grind from other product line extras, as well as 100% recycled foam.

We think it’s an awesome concept, and we like the kind of gnarly, funky aesthetic that the manufacturing process gives these shoes. And if nothing else, it’d be fun knowing that you’re strolling around as an eco-friendly Space Hippie.

There Is No Resupply Mission
on Mars (or Earth)

Space Hippie is an exploratory footwear collection inspired by life on Mars—where materials are scarce and there is no resupply mission.

Created from scraps, or “space junk,” Space Hippie is the result of sustainable practices meeting radical design.

The brand claims Space Hippie “is the creation of Nike footwear with our lowest carbon footprint scores ever”

Branding/Identity

Nike Pegasus Rocket Ships

February 9, 2019 Branding/Identity

Digital artist Chris Lebrooy collaborated with Nike to create a series of fictional flying machines to represent the speed and power of their Pegasus running line.

The sleek, abstracted craft have a quasi-shoe look about them, bring some elements of the running shoe to the designs, while also remaining fully futuristic and fantastical.

It’s a fun project that helps set an interesting stage for the shoe line, exploring concepts of flying, power, speed, and aerodynamics.

Via Behance:

Branding/Identity

Hypercolor Hands

July 20, 2017 Branding/Identity

Nike’s advertisements and design have been pretty solid of late, with bold shapes, bright colors, and a sense of confidence in their marketing. This series called AMD Revolution speaks to the customization of their sneakers, and the vibrancy that results. Really fun and bold work, see more on Behance.

Branding/Identity

Nike Air Max Explores Concepts of Space and Form

June 28, 2017 Branding/Identity

Shoe advertising is reaching new levels of creativity and quirkiness, clearly visible in this spot for the 2017 Nike Air Max. Their most cushiony shoe, the Air Max has a massive sole filled with puffed up pockets of air, theoretically giving you a soft, air-like running experience. The short video uses visually engrossing motion graphics exploring metaphors of air, space, and materials that are soft and padded. Agency ManVsMachine did a great job breathing life (and air) into this dynamic spot. Very visually tasty…

Architecture

Nike’s Shoe Shaped All LED Running Track

May 9, 2017 Architecture

Dubbed Unlimited Stadium, Nike recently unveiled a hugely ambitious running track in downtown Manila, Philippines. The brightly lit track is shaped like a running shoe, and is jam-packed with technology that can help you challenge yourself while running around it’s course. The entire length of the track is covered in an LED wall that maps your own run, and projects it for you to beat your next time around, using hyper-accurate RFID tracking. It’s an impressive technological feat, and seems like a great way to inspire athletes to challenge their abilities, break new records, and have a lot of fun. Great use of creative vision and technical execution, via DesignBoom:

Art

Sports Logos Turned Organic

March 29, 2017 Art

Funny and clever embroidery turn sports logos into little scenes of greenery. Created by artist James Merry Via Colossal:

Art

A Pop-Up Shop That Really Pops

August 8, 2014 Art

The concept of a pop-up shop is a store that is temporary and small. They come in a myriad of styles, and designers have a lot of fun creating innovative, quirky spaces, if even for temporary use. This pop-up shop for Nike is a wonderland of throwback mid-80’s color and fun. The use of geometry and pop-art are excellent, and it beckons the casual shopper in… Set for launch this winter in NYC. Via FastCo Design:

Art

What Would the iWatch Look Like?

January 24, 2014 Art

For all of the nature posts I do, I’m an unabashed tech geek as well. As a designer, I’m interested in aesthetics and function being married seamlessly. So far, there aren’t many details out about Apple’s forthcoming jump into the ‘wearable space’, but that hasn’t stopped designers from coming up with some interesting concepts. For the most part, the designs have a certain sleek, strappy, Nike Fuelband look to them. While this makes sense, it doesn’t match up perfectly with the rumored small screen sizes that Apple has been researching. When Samsung released their Galaxy Gear, it didn’t exactly set the world on fire. It’s somewhat handsome, but lacks a cohesive feel, and failed to connect with customers. Supposedly 30% of those who bought one at Best Buy returned the product, unsatisfied. In a post-Steve Jobs Apple, the company needs to dig deep before releasing something, and it sounds like that is the plan.

If they gathered collective brilliance, a device of supreme intelligence and elegance could usher in the next big wave of innovative products and technology. And while there is a contingent of anti-Apple folks out there, they remain one of the most innovative and polished companies in the world, from a product perspective. I’d be curious to see the iconic circle watch shape explored. it certainly has drawbacks from a display standpoint, but in terms of lasting design, something like this Braun classic is pretty damn timeless.

Apple’s own patent speaks to a ‘slap-bracelet’ type band with inherent flexibility to the whole device. Whether or not flexible OLED displays are able to come to market this soon remains to be seen.

Images courtesy of the designers, Todd Hamilton, Martin Hajek, Thomas Bogner

Architecture

Nike LunarTerra Arktos

September 30, 2013 Architecture

You don’t have to love Nike to appreciate the enormous range of footwear they make. Designer Nathan VanHook has a pretty sweet looking design for this all weather boot. The inner liner is insulated and can be worn inside a home, while slipping into the boot shell provides a waterproof exterior. Available this October. Via Nike:

Art

Fantastic Geometric Art by Andy Gilmore

August 18, 2013 Art

Via Colossal:

Design

Nike Outfits a Carbon Fiber Leg

February 3, 2012 Design

Via Fast Company Design:

Nike Invents A “Shoe” For Athletes With Prosthetic Limbs

The company’s innovation lab worked with marathoner Sarah Reinertsen to fill a market that’s ordinarily too small to attract serious R&D.

When it comes to their gear, most athletes don’t have to resort to DIY. But self-customization was the reality for amputee athletes who needed soles for their prosthetic running blades, like competitive runner and marathoner Sarah Reinertsen. But since 2006, Nike has been working with Reinertsen and leading prosthetics maker Ossur to create a sole that interlocks with the company’s Flex-Run Foot. The latest product of that collaboration was announced today.

Called the Nike Sole, this lightweight composite outsole slides onto the Flex-Run and stays put, thanks to nine nylon tabs that grip on to the running blade. Before this innovation, “amputees had to buy a pair [of shoes] and use one if they were a single amputee,” like Reinertsen, Nike Innovation Director Tobie Hatfield told us. The shoe’s sole would then be cut out and taped, glued or Velcroed on to the running blade, leaving little room for style or ease.

The Nike Sole provides a sleek option befitting the minimalist curve of Ossur’s carbon fiber running blade. Composed of four layers–including an outsole inspired by Nike cofounder Bill Bowerman’s iconic waffle traction design and a layer made of recycled Nike Air Bag units–the Nike Sole also features a rubber leash that hooks onto a tab for extra security, besting the old shoe sole of yore.

“With the new Nike Sole, an amputee can now just buy only one and immediately be able to slide it on their Flex Run Foot, attach the leash, and off they go on a run within 30 seconds,” Hatfield says. “No more tape, no more glue, no more Velcro.” The only customizing amputee athletes will have to do now is when they decide whether they want a sole with traction for on- or off-road jaunts.