With the 2024 Summer Olympics on the horizon, Nike is set to make a splash in the debut of breakdancing as an official competition sport. Introducing the Nike Jam, a performance sneaker crafted specifically for breakdancers, which was unveiled at Nike’s “Nike on Air” Olympic preview event last month.
Designed in Portland, Oregon, the Nike Jam is the culmination of extensive research and development by Nike, akin to their approach for other sports like running and basketball. The project began seven years ago with efforts to immerse in the breakdancing subculture and understand its unique demands. By 2020, Nike had enlisted professional breakdancers, including top-ranked B-girl Sunny Choi, to refine the shoe’s design at the Nike Sports Research Lab.
The Jam combines a vintage aesthetic with modern technology. Features include a drop-in foam midsole for enhanced comfort, a curved outsole for agile transitions, strategically raised patterns for grip during moves, and a mixture of rubbers to facilitate smoother gliding on dance surfaces. The design also incorporates an inverted Swoosh logo on the midsole, ensuring prominent branding during any move.
Nike plans to release the Jam in two colorways: “Dark Driftwood/Black-Hemp-Sail” and “Black/Metallic Silver-Gum Light Brown-Gum Medium Brown.” While retail pricing has yet to be disclosed, the sneakers are expected to hit stores this summer, ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris, which run from July 26 through August 11.
