“Fashion is usually about the catwalk and the glamour, but with Nike it was about performance and the athletes. What I love about this collection is that we are integrating the iconic style of football into sport style.” This was how fashion designer Olivier Rousteing described his recently announced collaboration with Nike for the NikeLab x Olivier Rousteing: Football Nouveau collection which will become available beginning June 2 at nike.com/nikelab and select NikeLab stores. The Balmain creative director known to fancy all things glam, Kardashian and amazon looking models #BalmainArmy is also a football(soccer to Americans) fans believe it or not.
The collab, which took shape last year when Nike approached Rousteing, features a lot of black and gold in the pieces with several sport-style shoe models inspired by Nike Football’s four silos: Mercurial, Magista, Hypervenom and Tiempo, reimagined through modern silhouettes and paired with luxury finishes, including touches of gold, the color of champions. “Olivier was obsessed with the complete look, making sure each piece worked together — not just within the men’s and women’s collections, but also between the two,” confirms Jarrett Reynolds, NikeLab Senior Apparel Design Director. “At every design review, he’d ask, ‘Would a football player really wear that?’ That question helped keep the collection rooted in sport.”
Football Nouveau, the second collaboration in NikeLab’s Summer of Sport series, blends Nike innovation with Rousteing’s creative vision. The pieces, represent the celebration of the football (soccer) lifestyle that includes new shapes and accents such as articulated gold framing, riri zippers, aglets and eyelets, offering a modern take on Nike Football heritage while elevating an athlete’s natural form; Including the N98 jackets for men and women, 4 silos of footwear, including a brand new and more contemporary take on the famous Tiempo 94.
photos via: Nike, Vogue
