When we decided to offer products for functional fitness equipment in addition to weightlifting equipment in 2018, the NIKE METCON was already three years old.
NIKE launched the first METCON model back in 2015 and it has been an integral part of the fitness world ever since. Not only has the design evolved since the first edition, but a lot has also changed in terms of functionality in the last 10 years.
If you look at the METCON’s success story, the bumpy start in 2015 is almost forgotten. But with the iconic “Banned” colorway this year, NIKE remembers the curious debut and lets us revisit this story.
The release of the METCON 1 in 2015 went hand in hand with a ban from the emerging Crossfit Games. Due to the exclusive sponsorship of the sports brand REEBOK, the athletes supported by NIKE were not allowed to put the new fitness shoe to the test at this competition.
But NIKE would not be NIKE if the US brand did not know how to use this circumstance to its advantage.
This was inspired by a campaign from 1985 when the NBA banned Michael Jordan’s Air Jordan 1 sneakers because of their black and red colorway. Jordan was fined 5,000 dollars per game for wearing them, making the “Banned” theme legendary.
This simple phrase on a truck trailer caused a sensation during the 2015 CrossFit Games in Carson, despite the boycott of the event. In a kind of guerrilla campaign, NIKE drew a lot of attention to the new fitness shoe around the venue, laying the foundation for the success of the METCON series.
In contrast to today’s models, the METCON 1 was absolutely minimalistic. The plastic applications introduced in the last models were not yet standard back then and the heel wedge was still made of rubber.
With the new edition of the METCON 1, NIKE recalls the evolution of its very first fitness shoe. With the homage to the “Banned” colorway of the Air Jordan 1, even the bumpy start in the world of functional fitness sports is not forgotten.
The story is not over yet, NIKE is drawing attention to the evolution of the entire METCON series with this revival.
With the METCON 10, NIKE will continue to write history and is expected to give the METCON family another successor in 2025. Until then, it remains to be seen what the technical development will look like.
Available from 02.08.2024 on weightlifting-shop.com
