Long before there was a company called Nike, there was a boot – the first product created by Blue Ribbon Sports. That boot was ‘The Nike’, created for the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico City. Now, acknowledging their roots in a very special, limited edition release, Nike bring back that boot, faithfully recreated and renamed as ‘The 1971’.
Forget all your innovations and fancy technologies; this is Nike taking things right back to the very beginning. Scratch that, before the beginning even. See, before Nike were Nike, they were Blue Ribbon Sports, and back in 1970 they creates a football boot for the 1970 World Cup, and it was called The Nike. The only “innovation” on show here was two white Swooshes, sewed on each side of the boots. But that was enough to drastically alter the direction and identity of the company forever more. The rest is history, and all that…
Canada Footwear company made the boot, which, despite the name, was actually based in Guadalajara, Mexico. The Nike sold well during the summer and early fall months of 1971, but as the thermometer began to fall, things changed. “The compound in the soles was made for Mexico – it wasn’t made to flex in cold weather,” explained Bob Woodell, an early BRS/Nike leader. “Kids would play football on a cold night in the northern U.S. and the shoes would crack.” It meant that attention was instead fixed on other sports for a time, and the football boot fell by the wayside. But its impact will forever be felt in the brand’s identity going forward, and that’s why now, on the 50th anniversary of the OG boot, Nike bring it back in a release limited to just 1,971 pairs, each individually numbered.
The 1971 is a close as possible remake of the original boot, constructed from cowhide leather with a padded ankle and heel. Underside there’s an injection moulded soleplate, and hopefully this one won’t be as prone to cracking; 50 years is enough to sort such problems one would assume. But clearly, this one isn’t for playing in. Available in only a size 8 (UK sizing) it’s a collectors piece through and through, and to complete the authentic feels it comes in a weathered box and tissue from the era (we’re not even gonna ask where that’s been sourced from after all this time). Canada Footwear added a metal lucky horseshoe to every pair of the Nike, a common practice for the manufacturer, and one that is included here once again. Gonna have to be quick to scoop a pair of these. Proper mantlepiece boot and no mistake.
Pick up the Nike 1971 at prodirectsoccer.com from 1pm
