Nike has a secret design archive. This new museum show takes you inside of it

More than 200,000 rare Nike artifacts are preserved in a hidden archive. Now, some of them are on view at the Vitra Museum.

In a confidential location known only to a select few, an unassuming building hides a sneaker lover’s paradise. This top-secret facility houses the Department of Nike Archives (or DNA), where more than 200,000 rare Nike artifacts are carefully documented and preserved—from never-before-seen sneaker prototypes to the original Nike “swoosh” sketch. This past year, the DNA opened its doors to outside visitors for the first time, allowing a group of curators to comb through its holdings for a new exhibition on Nike’s design history.