Brendan Dunne 
Last week, news broke that adidas had acquired a powerful trio of Nike designers in Marc Dolce, Denis Dekovic, and Mark Miner. These names have all been instrumental in different Nike categories for the past couple of years, and their collective move has, for many, signified a possible changing of the guard as far as adidas design talent goes. Unless you pay attention to the deepest level of sneaker geekery though, you might not be aware of the projects that these three names have been involved with during their time in Beaverton, but we’re here to help with that. As mentioned before, each of the new acquisitions have pretty distinct backgrounds in terms of the categories that they worked on during their Nike tenure.
Marc Dolce is no doubt the biggest name among them – you know him as the Nike Sportswear lead responsible for reviving the Nike Penny line and refreshing some classic archival silhouettes. Denis Dekovic is a soccer specialist, one whose profile rose tremendously this year with the push that Nike put behind their 2014 World Cup efforts and the connected footwear. Mark Miner has traditionally been involved with runners, and has been a guiding hand in the Nike Free realm for a couple of years now. Continue reading to get more on these former Nike designers in this latest Sneaker News NINE@NINE and then tell us in the comments which you think will have the most impact at adidas.
Unreleased Nike Rihanna Boot – Marc Dolce
Did you know that Marc Dolce was tasked with coming up with a design to be presented to Rihanna? According to an interview with Sole Collector, the pair pictured was one of the first things he came up with as part of his time at Nike. They never made it to retail, but it would have been an interesting addition to the Air Yeezy in terms of entertainer-sponsored sneakers.
via SC
Nike 1/2 Cent – Marc Dolce
What do you get when you mix together the first four Nike Air Penny sneakers with the Air Foamposite One? Marc Dolce’s answer was the Nike 1/2 Cent, a shoe created in conjunction with Penny that served as a history lesson of sorts with its hybrid design. Don’t forget the fact that these were sort of a sig for Penny’s alter ego before this year’s Lil’ Penny Posite creation. This sneaker signified the revival of the Air Penny line beyond the retro release.
Nike Air Penny V – Marc Dolce
Nike Sportswear went all in on this one and decided to give Penny Hardaway a brand new signature sneaker. While it was a signature shoe design, it wasn’t really slotted in amongst Nike’s more modern Basketball offerings. Instead, the shoe relied on components from the past as well as NSW flair, and the endless string of energetic colorways made the Penny V one of the most popular sneakers of 2012.
Nike Zoom Rookie – Marc Dolce
Another pair from the dense group of Dolce x Hardaway designs. While the shoe didn’t bear Penny’s name, it was indeed a Penny product – and managed to cram design cues from the Nike Air Go LWP and the Nike Air Flight One (sneakers that Penny wore during his rookie campaign) and hit it with some Posite designs. They even offered folks another shot at the “Galaxy” theme with a belated release that came late in 2012.
Nike Lunar Force 1 – Marc Dolce
The Lunar Forces weren’t the biggest hit when they showed up, but the shoe was definitely an important moment in marrying the old and the new for Nike during the AF1’s 30th anniversary year. The shoe is still around in 2014, but the Lunar kit on the bottom has been reworked just a bit and the Hyperfuse paneling has largely been ditched.
Nike Barkley Posite Max – Marc Dolce
Dolce dug up the Barkley archive for this one. The 2013 Nike Barkley Posite Max was inspired in part by a trip Dolce took to a museum dinosaur exhibit, although we can’t help but think that the ridges are also meant as a reference to the old Barkley vs. Godzilla ads. The grand debut was the “Area 72” colorway that dropped during the 2013 All-Star Weekend and lived on only in a few others.
Nike Flyknit Magista – Denis Dekovic
adidas might have been the sponsor for the final two teams in 2014 World Cup competition, but it was a Nike shoe that connected with the ball for that Germany goal by Mario Gotze that won the tournament. That would be the Nike Magista, a Flyknit-loaded Dekovic creation that was at the forefront of Nike’s soccer boot offerings this year. The Beaverton brand pushed extremely hard this year and finally toppled adidas as the #1 earner for all things related to the sport.
Nike Hypervenom – Denis Dekovic
The Nike Hypervenom was crafted with world class players like Neymar, Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in mind. The design dons a NIKESKIN upper made of a combination of mesh and polyutherane with a Nike All Conditions Control finish to it. The Hypervenom, which debuted in early Summer of 2013, was sent to brilliant new heights at around tournament time this year with the all-gold version.
Nike Zoom Structure 18 + Other Running – Mark Miner
Nike Running designs seem to be more of a collaborative effort than those you find in other categories, so it’s sort of difficult to attach Miner’s name to specific shoes. He’s definitely had his hands in the Nike Pegasus line – the Nike Air Pegasus 31 was very much a Miner design. On top of that, he’s been involved with plenty of Nike Free models for the past couple of years. The recently unveiled Zoom Structure 18 is, however, a Miner production.
