Nike has been soundly criticized in the past several years for its lack of innovation, a misstep that led to declining sales and profits — and the replacement of its chief executive officer — and allowed other brands such as On and Hoka to scoop up market share.
But the sports giant has spent the past year revamping its business to address — and hopefully rectify — the problems. First up was changing its chief executive officer, bringing retired company veteran Elliott Hill back in the top spot. Since he assumed the position one year ago, Hill has reinvented his executive team, pivoted the corporation to focus on sports and worked to jumpstart the innovation engine using the brainpower of all three of its brands: Nike, Jordan and Converse.
Hill appears to be on the right path with first-quarter results, reported at the end of September, exceeding analyst expectations. Although net income still fell nearly 31 percent, sales were up 1.1 percent, giving Wall Street reason for optimism.
Nike has created four new products to highlight its focus on innovation.
Now the company is addressing the innovation criticism. On Thursday it is unveiling a slate of products created by its internal design team, with input from its sponsored athletes, that are intended to be the building blocks for the next generation of apparel and footwear.
First up is the Therma-FIT Air Milano Jacket, a technically engineered garment that will make its debut on Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina next year. The jackets will include a custom-made ACG pump, metallic twill branding and an interior lining graphic that depicts the Garden of the Gods, the team’s home in Colorado Springs, Colo. Additional features include interior bottom hem thumb loops and a magnetic zipper designed to help Paralympic athletes close and zip the jacket. The athletes will wear the jacket as part of their official medal ceremony look.
The “adaptive outerwear” piece uses Nike’s proprietary Air technology to provide warmth and personalized thermal control for athletes. It allows the wearer to regulate their temperature by inflating or deflating the air within its baffles, providing warmth that ranges from a hoodie to a mid-weight puffer. The jacket, which was put through more than 380 hours of wear testing, is made with a two-layer composite laminate material that is soft and durable.
The Air Milano jacket can be inflated or deflated, depending upon the desired warmth.
Eduard Sanchez Ribot
“Air Milano signals a new and exciting era in Nike’s legacy of Air, bringing forward a distinctive innovation that offers responsive and intelligent insulation to all athletes,” said Danielle Kayembe, expert, apparel product innovation management.
“This innovation marks a bold new chapter for Nike, as we have successfully evolved Air technology to create an outerwear solution that serves athletes and pushes the boundaries of what apparel can do,” added Amie Achtymichuk, lead apparel development innovator. “Every detail was engineered to let athletes tune their own comfort and fit, creating a personalized experience that amplifies their performance and redefines adaptive outerwear.”
The jackets will be available commercially beginning sometime in 2026 but the retail price has not yet been set.
In addition to the Air Milano, Nike is debuting Nike Mind, which it describes as the “first neuroscience-based footwear to make athletes feel calm, focused and present.”
What that translates into is two new sneakers, Mind 001 and Mind 002, that tap into the mind-body connection by activating sensory receptors in the feet. The way it works is that each shoe features 22 independent foam nodes that are bonded to a flexible, water-resistant material that allows them to act as pistons and gimbals as athletes move. This is intended to allow the wearer to literally feel the ground beneath them.
Nike’s Mind 001 and Mind 002 shoes connect the feet with the mind.
Tyler Ashlock
The shoes are the first products that were created by Nike’s Mind Science Department, a group of neuroscientists who study the nervous system, brain activity and cognition of athletes in motion to help them better prepare, train, compete and recover.
“For 45 years, Nike has studied the body in motion — how muscles fire, how joints move, how oxygen fuels performance,” said Matthew Nurse, vice president and chief science officer of Nike, chief science officer for Nike Inc. “Now we’re expanding into the mind. By studying perception, attention and sensory feedback, we’re tapping into the brain-body connection in new ways. It’s not just about running faster — it’s about feeling more present, focused and resilient. That’s the next frontier of performance.”
The Mind 001 is a mule that slips on and off easily while the Mind 002 anchors the foot to the footbed for increased sensation and support. Both shoes will be available beginning in January on the Nike website and select stores. The Mind 001 will retail for $90 and the Mind 002 for $140.
Nurse said the initial iteration of the shoes is not intended for running, but rather for “pre-game or recovery” to enhance communication between the brain and the feet. “This is chapter one,” he said, adding that the whole impact of the mind on athletics represents “untapped potential” that Nike is determined to delve into more deeply in the future.
While staying warm may be the goal for the athletes at the Winter Olympics, Nike is also working to enhance its cooling technology with Aero-Fit. The newly developed fabric delivers double the airflow than previous products, allowing athletes to perform for longer in extreme conditions.
The Aero-FIT jersey features better airflow for cooling.
Courtesy of Nike
Aero-Fit moves more air between the skin and the fabric, which allows for better sweat evaporation. The fabric is made from 100 percent textile waste and the shirts feature elliptical mesh zones that are essentially channels that provide greater airflow in high-heat areas.
The technology will debut in the soccer kits Nike federations will wear during the 2026 season with consumer availability to follow.
The final innovation is not yet ready for commercial production. Called Project Amplify, it is a powered footwear system for running and walking. The shoes are engineered to augment the natural movement of the lower leg and ankle to provide a boost that will allow athletes to go faster and further with less effort. Nike is working with Dephy, a robotics partner, on the project.
The prototype for Project Amplify features a motor and rechargable battery.
Courtesy of Nike
The first iteration created by the Nike Sport Research Lab is similar to an electric bike and consists of a lightweight motor, drive belt and rechargeable cuff battery that integrates with a carbon-fiber running shoe, making it easier for athletes who run between a 10- and 12-minute mile pace to train more frequently or for a longer time.
“Project Amplify started with a single question: What if we could find a way to help athletes move faster and farther with less energy and a lot more fun? At its core, Project Amplify is about seamlessly adding a little more power to your stride. The fun comes from realizing you can do more than you thought you could,” said Michael Donaghu, vice president of Nike’s Create the Future, Emerging Sport and Innovation.
