Consumer

Nike Layoffs Hit Its Secret Sneaker Archive Department

  • Compound is closed to public and tucked inside headquarters
  • Loss of institutional knowledge comes as company’s sales slow
A cobbler paints a Nike Air Jordan sneaker on the customizing desk at a Golden Goose store in Milan, Italy.Photographer: Francesca Volpi/Bloomberg
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Nike Inc. has cut some staff from its secret sneaker archives as part of a multiyear cost-cutting plan, according to people familiar with the matter.

The division, known as the Department of Nike Archives — or DNA, as it’s referred to internally — is a small team of employees who collect, catalog and store more than 200,000 Nike shoes, gear and other artifacts from the brand’s history.