Inside the Making of Caitlin Clark’s Signature Sneaker With Nike’s Lead Caitlin 1 Designer

It was the easiest meeting Nike designer Ben Nethongkome has ever had.

“A+, no notes,” Caitlin Clark told him when he pulled the Fever superstar’s first signature shoe out of a duffel bag. Amongst a sea of executives and her representation in a Nike board room, Clark had the chance to suggest some tweaks to the final details. But she had seen enough; the Caitlin 1 was here.

“I remember her face when I brought the shoe out, grinning ear to ear,” Nethongkome told Sports Illustrated. “And everyone in the room had this sigh of relief. Like, Oh my god, she loves it. Thank goodness.”

Clark has worn her first signature shoe in various colorways throughout the WNBA season as her and Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever to the playoffs. On Thursday, the first colorways will be released to the rest of the world: “Warning Code” yellow and “Caitlin Blue” hit retailers on Oct. 1.

Along with A’ja Wilson’s A’One signature sneaker, which Nike released last year, the Caitlin 1 has become the most hyped player-specific shoe release in recent memory. That counts the men, too. Maybe Victor Wembanyama’s eventual signature sneaker will reach the same level, but fans haven’t clamored this much for a player’s first shoe since Penny Hardaway (1995), LeBron James (2003), Kobe Bryant (first Nike sneaker in 2005) and Kevin Durant (2009). And before that, Michael Jordan (1985).

Although the Caitlin 1 will fly as an everyday shoe from pickup games to coffee runs for the casual fan, it was tailored specifically for her game. In Clark’s initial meeting with Nethongkome and his design team, she told him that she wanted her shoe to unlock softer speed. She hoped her shoe could allow her to stop on a dime, step back quicker and shoot quicker. All things that anyone who has watched Clark sees immediately.

How could a sneaker help someone shoot quicker? That’s the question Nethongkome and his team pondered. Clark can pull up from the logo and let it fly before defenders even knew what hit them, but Nike landed on a way to help her stand out even further. Believe it or not, it’s all in the appearance.

“One of the ways we came up with was, what if her teammates can optically spot her quicker on the court?” Nethongkome said. “If they can find her quicker on the court, then the ball can reach her quicker. Then in essence, she can shoot faster.”

A new performance technology called “Opticast” was developed, which coats the shoe’s upper with raised C’s and 2’s that immediately catch your eye. The pattern consisting of Clark’s initials and No. 22 jersey number makes the shoe flicker on the court, which can help her teammates catch her through traffic in transition.

The “Caitlin Blue” colorway of the Caitlin 1 | Courtesy of Nike

Initially, Nethongkome had triangles, squares and different odd shapes that would create the flicker effect with the bright colorways of the shoe. Then, Clark had an idea that made her first shoe truly her own. “I’ve always loved my initials, can we bring that into the fold?” She asked him.

The bright colorways play a part in that, too. There are two sides to Caitlin Clark: The everyday person who Nethongkome has encountered through working with her at Nike, then the ruthless competitor she turns into on the court. That duality inspired the blue and yellow shoes that will become Clark’s first sneaker released to the public.

The specific shade of blue, which Nike has dubbed “Caitlin Blue,” was one of the rarest colors to emulate in the color wheel, Nethongkome said. That fit perfectly, as nobody on the floor is exactly like Caitlin Clark. Yellow is the complement of blue in color theory, so the two shades metaphorically represent the duality of Clark.

Beyond the functionality and symbolism, a widely available Clark sneaker gives an incredibly large fan base a more unique way to showcase that fandom. No matter where you are, you spot No. 22 Fever shirts and jerseys—regardless of age and gender. Nethongkome even said he saw kids wearing Clark jerseys when he took his kindergartner to the first day of school recently. In Beaverton, Ore., no less.

Athletes are clamoring for her first shoe, too. The “StudBudz” duo of Natisha Hiedeman and Courtney Williams were geeked when Clark got them each a pair at WNBA All-Star weekend. After Team USA’s FIBA World Cup win, Clark came back with some Caitlin 1s for each one of her Fever teammates. Even Chiefs coach Andy Reid got a pair in his colors as a hilariously awesome token of Clark’s Chiefs fandom.

There’s the Taylor Swift–inspired friendship bracelet colorway, too, which Clark debuted last month. As a well-documented Swiftie and friend, that was a must. Amid a sea of Caitlin 1 colorways, she picked the friendship bracelet version as her favorite at the time, Nethongkome said.

Once the initial drop comes and goes, more colorways will hit the market and Clark is already working on the next model with Nike. Her shoe has the potential to be the biggest signature sneaker to hit the public since the early days of Jordans. With a needle thread between functionality for the highest-level athletes and stylistic elements that soothe the enormous base of Clark fans, the Caitlin 1 will be everywhere.

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