Nike Nike is a giant American manufacturer of sports equipment and sports fashion. It was founded back in 1964 by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight, who are running coaches and runners, respectively. The background for Nike was that they wanted shoes that could help improve the user's performance, and perhaps lead to victory. Hence, the brand is also named after the Greek goddess of victory, Nike. Today, Nike produces some absolutely amazing shoes, both sports and fashion shoes, where you can be sure of a great fit as well as great quality.