You may have seen an influx of excited reposting of the announcement that contemporary French fashion label, Jacquemus, is collaborating with sportswear giant, Nike. The question is, does it come as any surprise?
This fashion-sportluxe collaboration has actually been in the pipeline for a couple of years, and if you look a little closer at some of Jacquemus’ collections, you’ll wonder why you didn’t see it coming.
Designer, Simon Porte Jacquemus’ previous runway shows have featured sport-centric pieces such as bucket hats, swimwear, scuba gear, sneakers and more, and it seems that this theme won’t be going away any time soon as there is expected to be even more of a sporty spirit for his upcoming Paris show in June this year. Having been in talks about a collaboration for almost three years, the French designer’s debut collaboration with Nike is set to merge his love of the outdoors and design sensibilities with Nike’s expert knowledge and technically advanced sports and active wear.
In fact, this collaboration is Jacquemus’s first and in a statement about his concept and inspirations for the collection, the designer said, “For this collaboration with Nike, I wanted to create a collection that reinterprets athletic women’s sportswear in a minimal way.” He continued, “I have always been inspired by vintage ACG pieces and Nike campaigns from the ’90s. Having this imagery in mind, we designed women’s athletic wear with sensuous details and neutral colors, along with my own interpretation of the Humara, my favorite Nike shoe.” He added, “It was important for the collection to be accessible for all bodies, and to be a natural blend of Jacquemus style and Nike performance.”
The image announcing the collaboration between Jacquemus and Nike, circulating our social media feeds is one of a grey tennis court, with both of the brands’ logos at either ends of the empty court which keeps us guessing about what we should be expecting from the collaborative collection.
According to a Nike press statement, Simon Porte Jacquemus “imagines a world where outdoor pursuits and court sports comingle within a new, integrated aesthetic.” The collection, which will launch this summer, will offer up clothing, footwear and accessories for both men and women, making a sport-centered visual, a lifestyle and fashion choice.
Jarrett Reynolds, Nike VP of Catalyst Apparel Design, added, “With Jacquemus, we drew from vintage ACG inspiration and the interweaving of Nike Dri-FIT fabric and considered footwear like the Humara to create a nexus of sport and style that could only be done through the shared lens of Nike x Jacquemus. Collaboration at Nike, and with partners like Jacquemus, allows us to expand the culture of sport and redefine it for the next generation.”
The collection is expected to marry Nike’s performance acumen with Jacquemus’ approach to fit and fashion, and is set to redefine ready to wear into pieces that are “comfortable anywhere, anytime.”
Nike x Jacquemus launches June 28th 2022 exclusively on jacquemus.com, and across Nike retail globally.
