What This Archive Is
This is not a shop, not a reseller hub, not a generic sneaker blog. It is a long-term archival project dedicated to the first generation of Nike running and training shoes – from the early waffle years to the pre–Air Max mid-1980s.
The anonymous curator behind this archive:
- Bought original STING, Cortez, Elite, Pre-Montreal, LD-1000 and others new in Japanese sports shops.
- Travelled frequently between Japan and Los Angeles from 1990 to the mid-1990s.
- Spent weekends at Pomona and Rose Bowl flea markets when old Nike and Levi’s were still “just used goods”.
- Collected not only shoes, but prices, fits, colorways and structural differences that catalogs never showed.
This LP introduces the scope and standards of the archive. Detailed model pages, timelines and preservation notes will later live on a WordPress backend. For now, the goal is to declare clearly what is being preserved, and why.
Who Is This For?
If you are only chasing resale values or social media clout, this archive may feel too slow. It is built for people who think in shape, history and materials.
- Clarify which colorways actually existed.
- Understand Japan-market vs US-market structures.
- Place your pairs in realistic price and era context.
- Reference authentic 70s running shapes and heel counters.
- Study two-tone experiments like STING and Terra derivatives.
- Use the archive as a quiet mood board for new work.
- Check facts beyond modern retro releases.
- Borrow the structure of our timelines (with credit).
- Build scripts around real prices and market feelings.
No fake nostalgia, no “everything was better back then” speeches. The goal is not worship, but clarity:
- Which models truly existed, and in what form.
- What they cost next to Onitsuka Tiger and others.
- How they felt on the feet of actual runners.
The archive is built slowly, in silence – much like a private reading room.
Archive Lines
The project is divided into several “lines”. Each line will later expand into its own WordPress section and printable PDF.
- Release window and position in the line-up.
- Confirmed colorways (no guesswork).
- Key structural traits: last, toe, heel counter, outsole.
- Japan-only or US-only variants clearly flagged.
- STING two-tone: front orange, rear green, white Swoosh – one true scheme remembered.
- Oregon colors on Pre-Montreal variants beyond track spikes.
- University color logic vs retail logic.
- Cases where retro releases quietly rewrote history.
- Differences in width, toe volume and arch support.
- Heel counter height (for example STING script vs block logo variants).
- D-ring vs eyelet lacing in everyday use.
- How EVA, nylon and suede aged over decades.
- Typical price bands: Tiger around ¥3,000, STING around ¥7,000, LD-1000 near ¥10,000.
- How “expensive” these shoes were for students and runners.
- Which models sat on shelves, and which disappeared quickly.
- Swap-meet prices in early 1990s Los Angeles before the boom.
Early Model Notes (Preview)
Below are short samples of the notes that will later be expanded into full articles and printable model sheets.
- True colorway remembered: front half orange, rear half green, white Swoosh – no second scheme.
- Japan: block logo, hybrid D-ring + eyelets, slightly higher heel counter and more stability.
- US: full D-ring lacing, lower heel counter, more aggressive racer silhouette.
- In Japan sat at ~¥7,000 when Onitsuka Tiger runners were around ¥3,000.
- Oregon yellow/green not limited to spike plates – there were non-spike training heels.
- Felt lighter and more fragile underfoot than later trainers.
- Rarely documented; most modern references show only track versions.
- Seen on shelves in the early 70s along with STING and other experiments.
- Felt slightly odd beside more conventional stripe and block schemes.
- Foam density and outsole texture will be described from memory, not just catalog scans.
- ALOHA closer in build to Terra than Cortez, despite its name.
- Franchise & Virginia: mesh, D-rings, “STING-like” feel in hand and on foot.
- Information derives from pairs actually owned and worn, not only auction photos.
Visual Atmosphere
Visually, the archive aims to feel like a quiet design studio and museum combined – white tables, soft light, orange accents and silhouettes that speak for themselves.
Planned Outputs
This LP is intended to “age” quietly in public view. Concrete products will appear only when the research base feels honest.
- 40–60 pages, English only.
- Model sheets, color diagrams, shape notes, price bands.
- All based on first-hand observation, clearly separated from speculation.
- STING “True Two-Tone”.
- Pre-Montreal Oregon variant.
- Early Cortez script vs block comparison.
- Storage advice from real pairs, not lab tests.
- Typical failure points (midsole crumble, heel separation, glue).
- What can realistically be saved, and what cannot.
Contact & Collaboration
Nike Classic Archive · Independent Project from Japan
This is a slow project. There is no team, no marketing department – only one person’s memory and Kuroneko Publishing’s infrastructure.
If you are a museum, brand historian, publisher or documentary producer who needs quiet, accurate input on early Nike running shoes, you may reach out via e-mail.
📩 E-mail: info@nike-classic.com
Please mention your project type (book, exhibition, video essay, archive, etc.) and how you would like to use the information. We do not authenticate shoes for resale and do not appraise market prices.