When innovation becomes a culture of making: responsibility, vision, and Nike’s lab of the future
“Be the Project” — the theme of Fuorisalone 2026 — invites us to rediscover design as a living process, an act of connection between mind, body, and technology. Not a finished form, but a journey of listening and transformation.
In this vision, Nike stands as a virtuous example of contemporary design.
Nike Project Amplify: the world’s first powered footwear system for running and walking.
With the creation of its new global innovation hub, Nike, Jordan Brand and Converse merge their design, product, and research teams into a single creative ecosystem where science and imagination work together to enhance human performance.
As Phil McCartney, Chief Innovation, Design and Product Officer at NIKE, Inc., states: “Everything starts and ends with the voice of the athlete — their goals, their challenges, their determination. It’s a new day for innovation at Nike.”
At the LeBron James Innovation Center, home of the Nike Sport Research Lab, over a thousand scientists, neuroscientists, and designers collaborate with athletes to explore new frontiers of movement and thought. Artificial intelligence becomes a co-creative ally — a tool that amplifies human knowledge and the body’s potential.
Nike Mind: first neuroscience-based shoes to help athletes find calm, focus, and awareness.
This vision takes shape through four key platforms:
– Aero-FIT, a ventilation technology that enhances performance in extreme conditions and is made entirely from recycled materials;
– Therma-FIT Air Milano, a temperature-regulating garment merging Nike Air and technical tailoring, inspired by Milano 2026;
– Nike Mind, the first neuroscience-based footwear line connecting body and mind before and after performance;
– Project Amplify, a powered shoe system that redefines the very idea of movement.
Nike Project Amplify: designed to enhance the natural movements of the ankle and lower leg.
For Nike, innovation begins with empathy — it’s about listening, observing, and transforming technology into a human experience. As McCartney adds: “Our job is to make athletes’ dreams real. We create solutions they didn’t know they needed, but now can’t live without.”
In this way, “Be the Project” and Nike share the same philosophy: design as an ongoing, conscious process of transformation.
To design, ultimately, means to inhabit change with awareness.
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