Nike ACG

ACG

Nike ACG has long provided high-quality apparel for various outdoor pursuits. Its name stands for ‘All Conditions Gear’, representing its ethos to enable people of every ability to feel comfortable and supported across all terrains and conditions.

ACG’s history goes back to the 1970s, when Nike sponsored a team of American mountaineers hoping to summit K2. Each received a pair of LDV running shoes, and a subsequent image of Rick Ridgeway and John Roskelley wearing them during the long trek to basecamp inspired Nike to develop its first hiking boots. Crafted using the duo’s notes, the powerful Magma, the Lava Dome day hiker and the water-resistant Approach, which debuted the GORE-TEX upper, were released under Nike Hiking in 1981.

In 1989, Nike rebranded Hiking as ACG – a designation initially used on 1988’s all-weather Air Pegasus. Under the new moniker, its adventurous designers created iconic silhouettes like Tinker Hatfield’s 1991 Air Mowabb, which were popularized using ACG’s humorous marketing style typified by phrases like: “an excellent shoe for running on trails… or sprinting away from bears.”

Alongside Hatfield, Nike ACG attracted other unconventional designers like Peter Fogg and Tory Orzeck, who crafted the influential ACG Moc in 1994. Their use of eye-catching colors set ACG silhouettes apart from traditional hiking equipment without compromising on function, as showcased on 1995’s ACG Torre, whose durable, waterproof upper featured vibrant, contrastive tones.

During the late 1990s, Nike ACG entered a period of bold innovation symbolized by a new logo resembling the human lungs. In 1998, it became its own sub-label, and 1999 brought the powerful ACG Exploraid and the suave ACG Izy sneaker-boot. Many Y2K classics followed, including the cozy ACG Rufus slip-on and Scott Portzline’s eccentric ACG Phassad trail shoe, while new technologies were embraced and creative collaborations forged with brands like Pendleton and Poler.

Despite this success, hard times lay ahead, so in 2014, avant garde fashion designer Errolson Hugh was recruited and the sub-label relaunched as NikeLab ACG. Hugh’s stealthy techwear designs were more focused on urban environments and city explorers, but his stunning work reinvigorated the ACG name, and by his final collection in 2018, things were firmly back on track.

In 2019, experienced Nike designer James Arizumi was appointed Senior Brand Creative Director, and he immediately returned to the pioneering philosophy of ACG’s roots. This led to robust yet stylish hiking shoes like 2020’s ACG Mountain Fly, whose successor was collaborated on with fashion label Comme des Garçons, and the 2022 ACG Gaiadome alongside the revival of the Mowabb and other heritage classics. In 2025, the All Conditions Racing Department was established, allowing ACG’s designers to collect invaluable data from elite athletes which can be used to create cutting-edge products such as the ACG Ultrafly trail-running super shoe.

Nike ACG has always encouraged wilderness exploration by offering high-tech equipment suited to all conditions. This compelling mission thrives on the sub-label’s range of well-crafted, stylish footwear and apparel, which allows everyone to enjoy the great outdoors.