The designers of the Alpha Project were tasked with asking leading athletes in their field about what they believed would be required by Nike products to deliver the highest performance output within their disciplines. Imagine not only a blank page for the imagination, but also a blank cheque for research and development. This was a purposeful innovation restart to enhance performance, hence the name "Alpha Project." All the products which would meet the requirements of the Alpha Project would carry a mark of 5 dots, each representing a stage in the product development: ENQUIRE, RESEARCH, CREATE, TEST ,COMPETE. 

These 5 stages would often be repeated until the product was refined. Some noteworthy names that were birthed through the Alpha Project was the technology of Nike Shox (Shox R4, BB4 and XT4, Shox Vince Carter 1 and 2), Air Presto, Air Tuned Max, and the Flightposite to name only a very few. See if you can identify any products within your collection which also carries the mark of these 5 dots. A remarkable release for the Alpha Project within the running category was Air Kukini. This release was unlike anything seen before and was the brainchild of Nike designer Sean McDowell. 

When triathletes conclude the cycling leg of the Triathlon and prepare for a long-distance run, they waste time transitioning from cycling gear into running gear, and lacing shoes for the appropriate fit costs time in this transition. By removing the laces and replacing them with the Elasticated Foot web, athletes would find an immediate fit-appropriate feel for running. To make this process take place even faster, a finger loop was added at the top of the tongue and the back of the heel to quickly nudge the foot into the shoe with the assistance of only 2 fingers. Nike used the "FAST ON FAST OFF" message to show its unique proposition.

During the prototype phase, the Air Kukini even had drainage holes for water in the outsole. It can even be seen in flex grooves within the original printed ad for the Air Kukini but was not included in the final production version. It was however a feature that was included in the Air Kukini 2 (which is a story for another day). Since water was a key influence in the design of the Air Kukini, the original upper featured a blue water print.