Nike uses future tech to highlight its past

The Future. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Nike dropped an AR installation in 11 of its stores worldwide to “highlight the spirit of DNA (Department of Nike Archives).” With this latest AR project that brings to life footwear from decades past, Nike may just be flexing the future of window shopping.

Store sight
Per Input, Nike literally wants you to see its retail history.

• Nike partnered with global creative company BUCK to build a WebAR experience in 11 of its most high-profile stores, including ones in NYC, Paris, and Shanghai.
• People can access the experience by scanning a QR code on a box that appears to be covered in frosted glass. The box then virtually opens and reveals several Nike “artifacts,” including shoes, apparel, and magazine spreads.
• Users can then interact with the artifacts, including walking around them as though they’re in the physical space, through their phone’s camera view.

Nike has made several inroads into emerging tech over the past year — virtual shoes with the acquisition of RTFKT,  a world within Roblox that connects an in-game avatar with your IRL physical activity, and a new sports research lab that uses motion capture tech to test products.

Soon, Nike may be just as known for its technological advancements as its footwear.