Sneakerheads, rejoice.
Influence in the worlds of fashion and streetwear can be sneaky yet pervasive at times, winding its way into all corners and transcending pop culture, broadly speaking: Point being, you very well know designs from Nigo, creator of streetwear brand A Bathing Ape. Now, his fingerprints are all over yet another iconic design, a new Nike x Nigo Air Force III set of sneakers and a matching apparel collection.
The multi-talented Nigo (a DJ, entrepreneur and record producer as well as the creative director at Kenzo) put his own spin on the iconic Nike Air Force III, as all things Nike continue to draw buzz and garner attention as one of the most coveted sneaker brands on the planet. The footwear giant called the colorful kicks part of “a new footwear journey rooted in a rich web of pop culture inspiration and reference.”
The much-buzzed-about collection drops September 28, first with an exclusive launch at Tokyo’s Otsumo Plaza, along with humanmade.jp and the “I Know Nigo 2” pop-up in New York. Nike calls the designer a true “modern archivist and master collage artist — distilling and synergizing mediums, inspirations and references that define the canon of contemporary streetwear and pop culture.”
The result is a striking pair of sneakers that weave together a mix of embossed and genuine leathers, plus the same midsole foam and rubber outsole as the OG Air Force III. Matching graphics on the heel nod to both Nigo’s far-reaching design influence and the original sneaker itself, the company said.
A hoodie and varsity jacket round out the collection in a uniquely personal way: Nigo used colors that reference his favorite Japanese cartoons. And the fresh collaboration arrives at an opportune time, as Nigo debuts a new single and music video in tandem with the launch.
The partnership, more than three decades in the making, is a special one for the lauded designer, he said. “When I decided to work with Nike, I went to the Nike World Headquarters and drew a lot of inspiration from the archives, the lab and the team working there,” Nigo said. With that sort of heritage and a fresh spin on a classic, this collaboration should fly off shelves in no time at all: Mark your calendars for September 28th, sneakerheads.
