Nike Layoffs Hit Retailer’s Secret Sneaker Archive Department

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.

Located in a complex tucked inside Nike headquarters in Oregon, the archive was started in 2006 as a place to preserve and record Nike’s past. Closed to the public, access is typically reserved ...