Over the years, Nike has both established trends and followed them. When a new wave hits the sneaker world in a big way, it’s never long before the Swoosh steps in to offer their take on it—see their upcoming sneaker loafer for proof. Still, if there’s a movement in fashion right now that seems impenetrable to not only Nike but the sneaker scene at large, it’s cowboycore.
The recent Western style revival has proved tough for sportswear labels to crack, because it explicitly exists largely separate from sneakers and sweats. We’re not saying you can’t pair a Tech Fleece hoodie with boots and a Stetson—we’re just saying you don’t see it happen too often. However, anyone who thought Nike didn’t have a little yeehaw energy in its archive already is sorely mistaken—and the Beaverton brand has revived an obscure piece of its history to get in on the fun.
In 1967, back when Nike was still known as Blue Ribbon Sports, Geoff Hollister was hired by founder Phil Knight as the brand’s third-ever employee. In 1976, almost a decade into his 33-year tenure with the Swoosh, Hollister designed the Nike Country logo for the upstart company’s outdoors line—a short-lived precursor of sorts to the now-beloved ACG imprint.
Fast forward to 2003, and Nike designer Bob Smith, who remembered the logo fondly from his childhood, decided to revive it for a line of retro-looking gear he was working on. He redrew Hollister’s design and cheekily deployed it on a massive honkin’ belt buckle, attached to a hand-carved leather belt that paid homage to the Swoosh’s Oregon roots. Those early-aughts belts have since become legendary among sneaker collectors of a certain ilk, with vintage specimens often selling for hundreds of dollars on eBay.
Now, finally, the Nike Country belts have returned, easily the Swoosh’s quirkiest and most endearing retro release of 2025. Launching on July 30 in a quintet of killer colorways—four in direct homage to the OG plaque buckle, one in more of a typical Western style—they’re priced at $75 for the plain metal editions and $95 for the rhinestone versions. Add to cart and saddle up.
