Original Hike Nike T-Shirt from the late-1970s

“There’s these t-shirts that are quite popular, both the early ‘80s Hike Nike ones and this original one. As far as we know, this one is from ‘75 to ‘77. We think it could’ve been drawn and in development in like ‘75, but the earliest we’ve ever seen it in a magazine or print ad is in ‘77 in an older Japanese mag.”

He says the most recent reference of Hike Nike would be on select Air Forces with the Hike Nike Man logo. (There’s a pair set to be release this month.) This tiny logo man has become so popular that outside the U.S. market, t-shirts featuring him are listed for $1200 to $1300.

“It’s one of the earliest retros we’ve ever seen as well. On this early version, he’s wearing Cortez because at the time there was no Nike hiking boots. In the ‘70s, we only had running shoes, so he’s wearing blue and white Cortez, backpack, shorts, just a traditional kind of hiking setup with a big beard. It says Hike Nike. That’s the true original graphic.”

The updated version has footwear that didn’t come out until the ‘80s. “They changed up some of the coloring on his shorts and things like that. And then in ‘81 or ‘82, Nike released their first Gore-Tex boot.” Nike Hike Man is wearing the boots, making the earlier tee a retro despite it being less than 10 years old.

“Not too many t-shirts really have a following like the Hike Nike t-shirt. So, it’s really fun to see a true OG one and have it come from the Portland area.”

Gimbel says there are a few different groups of Nike collectors in Portland, and this t-shirt in particular came from one of the older guys who has been collecting since the 1990s. “In my opinion, that’s where the true gem archive type stuff is. It’s people that never went public with it, people that never opened up a shop. It’s people that never started collecting with the idea of selling it.”

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