For nearly 60 years, Nike Inc. has inspired the world to Just Do It. But today, the sportswear giant is embracing a new internal mantra—one that’s louder, bolder, and far more urgent: “Create epic s—t.”

This unapologetically daring motto comes directly from Phil McCartney, Nike’s recently appointed Chief Innovation, Design, and Product Officer. After nearly three decades at the company, McCartney has been tasked with one of the toughest challenges in Nike’s modern history—reviving the creativity and innovation engine that once made the brand unstoppable.

“By nature, I’m pretty impatient,” McCartney admits in an interview from Nike’s iconic Beaverton, Oregon headquarters. “It’s okay to push edges and try crazy things.”

And that’s exactly what he’s doing.

A Vision of Speed, Disruption, and Creativity

Since stepping into his role in May 2025, McCartney has set his sights on one goal: speed. His team of more than 4,000 designers, scientists, and engineers has been challenged to develop products faster than ever before—some up to a full year ahead of schedule.

But this isn’t just about speed for speed’s sake. McCartney wants to restore Nike’s reputation as the global leader in sports innovation, a title the company has slowly lost in recent years to competitors like Adidas, On, and Hoka.

Under his leadership, Nike is developing some of the most forward-thinking concepts the sneaker world has ever seen—designs that blur the line between sport, science, and imagination. Among these are Nike Mind, a neuroscience-inspired shoe that aims to calm athletes by stimulating pressure points in the brain; the Air Milano Jacket, which self-inflates to regulate temperature; and Project Amplify, a futuristic powered footwear system that propels wearers forward with each step.

“We’re not rushing,” McCartney says with a grin. “It’s what I call appropriate acceleration.”

The Urgent Need to Reignite Nike’s Spark

Nike’s dominance in the athletic footwear market once seemed unshakable. From its Air cushioning system to Flyknit technology and ZoomX foam, the brand became synonymous with innovation and performance. But recently, that spark began to dim.

In 2024, Nike lost $5 billion in revenue, with profits sliding for six consecutive quarters. Even more alarming, the company found itself overly reliant on retro sneaker sales—capitalizing on nostalgia instead of breaking new ground.

That strategy alienated core customers: the athletes and performance enthusiasts who built the Nike empire.

“Nike became too comfortable selling lifestyle sneakers,” explains Poonam Goyal, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. “They leaned too much on their heritage and not enough on creating the next big thing. For Nike to turn around, innovation is everything. If new products don’t connect, the comeback fails.”

McCartney’s mission is to fix exactly that.

Inside Nike’s Innovation Hub: The LeBron James Innovation Center

Walking through Nike’s LeBron James Innovation Center feels like stepping into a science fiction movie. The state-of-the-art building houses the Nike Sports Research Lab, where engineers and sports scientists collaborate to design the next generation of athletic gear.

Inside, an indoor track lined with pressure-sensitive force plates measures each foot strike in real time. Nearby, a climate chamber simulates extreme weather conditions to study how fabrics and shoes perform under stress. The basketball courts are lined with motion-capture cameras that record every jump, pivot, and sprint in microscopic detail.

It’s here that McCartney spends much of his time, guiding research teams as they push the boundaries of sports science and design. “We’re merging data and creativity,” he says. “Every insight from athletes fuels our next breakthrough.”

Image Credit: Nike

Four Projects That Could Redefine Nike’s Future

Phil McCartney’s new approach has already produced a slate of futuristic prototypes that could completely reshape how people experience sportswear. Here’s a closer look at the innovations redefining Nike’s creative direction:

1. Nike Mind: Sneakers That Stimulate the Brain

This experimental shoe is designed to improve focus and relaxation by applying pressure to specific nerve points in the foot. Using insights from neuroscience, Nike Mind aims to calm athletes before and during high-performance activities—a kind of mental training tool disguised as footwear.

2. Air Milano Jacket: Fashion Meets Function

Set to debut at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, this revolutionary jacket can inflate or deflate on command, adjusting insulation levels to the wearer’s needs. It’s both stylish and smart, representing Nike’s ongoing effort to bridge performance technology and streetwear aesthetics.

3. AeroFit Fabric: Lightweight, Breathable, and Dynamic

AeroFit is Nike’s new material innovation—an ultralight mesh structure that regulates body heat by enhancing airflow. It’s the result of years of collaboration between textile engineers and athletes who demanded apparel that performs in any condition.

4. Project Amplify: The “Powered Footwear” Concept

Perhaps the most ambitious of all, Project Amplify is Nike’s moonshot project: a mechanically enhanced footwear system that gives runners an extra “spring” with each stride. Early prototypes resemble robotic exoskeletons, but McCartney insists each new version is becoming more refined and wearable. The project isn’t expected to hit the market until 2028, but insiders say it could revolutionize sports performance forever.

Restructuring the Swoosh: Nike’s Corporate Shake-Up

McCartney’s appointment coincided with a massive internal restructuring led by Elliott Hill, Nike’s newly reinstated CEO. Hill, who returned from retirement in 2024, wasted no time overhauling the company’s leadership team and strategic focus.

In August 2025, Nike announced a sweeping reorganization:

• 8,000 employees were reassigned to roles centered around specific sports such as basketball, running, and football (soccer).

• Several long-standing executives were replaced or promoted to refresh the company’s leadership.

• Fewer than 1% of corporate employees were laid off as part of the transition.

Hill made his vision crystal clear:

“I want us to go faster. Make stuff people want, need, and—when we’re at our best—make stuff they didn’t even know was possible.”

This focus on speed and imagination is now Nike’s new north star.

Reconnecting with Athletes and Sports Performance

For McCartney, the revival of Nike starts with one principle: make athletes better.

The brand’s identity was built on serving performance-driven consumers—from elite Olympians to everyday runners. But with recent years dominated by fashion-forward collaborations and retro releases, Nike’s athletic credibility needed a reboot.

“Every product we create should help athletes move faster, feel lighter, or recover stronger,” McCartney says. “If it doesn’t do that, we shouldn’t make it.”

He’s applying this philosophy to key sports categories, particularly running and football (soccer)—two markets where Nike once led but has since faced tough competition.

To prepare for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, McCartney’s teams are developing improved versions of Nike’s Tiempo football boots, along with high-performance apparel and gear tailored for professional and amateur players alike.

Image Credit: Nike

Converse and Cross-Brand Innovation

Beyond Nike’s core label, McCartney is also extending his influence to Converse, Nike’s heritage brand known for its legendary Chuck Taylor All Star sneakers.

Converse has faced challenges of its own, with revenue dropping 28% in the last quarter. Executives hope that leveraging Nike’s research and development capabilities will inject new life into Converse’s product lineup.

McCartney recently visited Converse headquarters in Boston to discuss opportunities for collaboration, from new sole technologies to material experimentation. “We’re not treating Converse as a separate entity,” he says. “It’s part of the Nike family—and innovation should be shared across that family.”

The Experimental Edge: 20% for “Moonshot” Ideas

One of the most radical changes under McCartney’s leadership is Nike’s 20% innovation rule. Every team within the innovation department is encouraged to devote one-fifth of their time to “moonshot projects”—bold, experimental ideas that may never reach retail shelves but could inspire future technologies.

This philosophy echoes the innovation culture of Silicon Valley startups like Google and Tesla. “We’re applying a startup mindset inside a global company,” McCartney says. “I expect a lower hit rate—but higher impact.”

By freeing teams from traditional corporate constraints, Nike hopes to rediscover the creativity that made it a cultural powerhouse in the first place.

A New Chapter in Nike’s Legacy

Phil McCartney’s journey is uniquely intertwined with Nike’s history. Born in Newcastle, England, and trained in sports science, he joined Nike right after university. Over the years, he’s worked closely with Nike’s most influential figures, including Mark Parker, the company’s long-time CEO and current executive chairman.

His leadership style blends scientific rigor with creative risk-taking, a balance Nike desperately needs as it enters a new era defined by AI-driven design, sustainable materials, and athlete data analytics.

For McCartney, the goal isn’t just to design the next great shoe—it’s to redefine what performance means in a world where technology, culture, and sport are inseparable.

A Glimpse Into the Future: From Lab to Track

In one recent experiment, McCartney’s team developed custom Nike track spikes for Faith Kipyegon, the world-record-holding middle-distance runner. During a test in Paris, Kipyegon attempted to run a four-minute mile. She didn’t quite reach it—but she did break her own world record with an unofficial time of 4:06.42.

That, says McCartney, is what innovation is all about. “Even when we fall short, we push the limits of what’s possible,” he reflects. “And that’s the spirit of Nike.”

The Race to Reinvent Nike

After years of stagnation, Nike is running again—and this time, it’s sprinting toward the future. With Phil McCartney at the helm of design and innovation, the company is returning to its roots: bold experimentation, athlete-first design, and a refusal to settle for anything less than extraordinary.

In his own words:

“We’re not here to make ordinary shoes. We’re here to make epic ones.”

If McCartney succeeds, Nike won’t just reclaim its place as the world’s most innovative sportswear brand—it will redefine what innovation looks like in the 21st century.