The Nike Irreverence Justified is one of the rarest of books to have been released. In the years preceding the turn of the century (2000), Nike along with other sportswear contemporaries had harboured ideas of celebrating this milestone, to thank their most loyal contributors and ardent supporters over the years. Not least the amazing endorsed athletes that have contributed to its great success since the start.
Alot of ideas passed the table. From calendar to a recompilation of legendary Nike spots for television. But in the end, they decided on a book, since it had the big advantage of rarity in the highest form, a not-for-sale gift for family and friends, and as a result, "Irreverence Justified' was born. A solid book, literally built like a brick, this has become one of the most sought after collectors items for any avid sneaker collector.
Perhaps what's more special about this highly collectible book is the fact that down to the nitty gritty i.e the selection of materials from paper stock to the hardcover material, down to the ink type for the print were all thoroughly considered. Nike wouldn't be Nike if it didn't transform this pile of paper into a work of art, beginning with the cover. The gold shine of the book comes from the use of the material 'PU Sparkle Leather code number gold 6002' which is the same material used for the shoes in which Michel Johnson set the 200 Mt. World Record. In fact, Nike did use what had been left over by the production of Johnson's golden shoes which makes this book even more special.
This book is the compilation of almost 600 Nike models (575 to be exact) of known and sometimes more off the radar, obscure Nike models. Cataloguing the shoes was a tricky effort, from physically finding the shoes in their archives to photography and then combining that effort with locating scans of older catalogs for shoes that had been cut from production and no longer existed in physical form. Irreverence Justified starts with the 1972 Waffle Montreal, and oddly enough ends with several blank pages, almost a fifth of the book. In its own creative way, Nike wanted to suggest that this wasn't a closed project but rather a continuation of their vision and pursuit of newer Nike things in the future. And as most know with Nike, "There is no finish line".
What makes this book even more sought after, is that Nike only made a numbered edition release of 2000 book, each individually hand numbered. It was never intended to be published for sale either. Each of the 2000 books were gifted to important "cultural" leaders or important people to the Nike family. Phil Knight of course, received book number 1 of the release.
Condition:
Notable scratches and markings are observed to the book cover and markings consistent with a read book. Pages are observed to be crisp and clean when opened and flipped, with no visible damage or dog-earring, stains to the pages. This book has been displayed so you'll notice gentle dust markings to the page edges when the book is displayed shut (at top, side and bottom). A gentle lifting of the gold leather bound hardcover at the bottom right hand corner of the spine is also observed. This book is sold as is, without the Nike shoe book box.
