Doing their part in the fight against Aids in Africa, Nike teamed up with Product(RED) to launch the ‘Lace Up. Save Lives’ campaign on World Aids Day last year. Following up, Nike(RED) has released a collection of limited edition products to create more awareness for the campaign.
Just in at Leftfoot is the Cheyenne 2000 backpack in a striking red colourway. The medium-sized pack can hold a laptop and has several compartments. It is easily one of the best looking bags from Nike Sportswear due to the simple shape and details combined with durable nylon fabric.
With the World Cup being held this Summer in South Africa, it isn’t a surprise that Nike’s Innovation Summit this year solely focuses on football.
Nike President and CEO Mark Parker opened the summit, held over the course of two days at the Battersea Power Station in London, by stating:
“Now with Umbro as part of the Nike family, we are now the biggest football company in the world.”
“No company delivers more innovation than Nike, we have the most advanced sports research lab in the world and we continually push the boundaries of what’s possible.”
Parker’s statement shows how far the company has come since its first football boot design in 1971, which unlike other iconic Nike achievements, isn’t celebrated for its technical excellence or success as a product, but rather as a sign of the company’s continual push for innovation and desire to build upon experiences.
The event brought media from all over the world to witness the launching of the new Mercurial Vapor Superfly II boot with Real Madrid superstar Christiano Ronaldo, the new ‘100% recycled’ National Team jerseys and the launch of Nike Football+, an after service that provides young players with on-demand tutorials with elite footballers, coaches and trainers.
Here’s a pictorial recap of the event, head here for an in-depth look at the Mercurial Vapor Superfly and here for the team jerseys.
(Click on images twice to enlarge)
In 1971, Nike came up with ‘The Nike’ football boot, a test product that was the first pair of shoes to sport the swoosh. Although the simplistic boot didn’t live up to what a Nike shoe was meant to be, it gave the company invaluable experience that they would later use to create their first world-class football products.
Now in 2010, Nike have come a long way, as their expertise in sportswear and sports equipment innovation has enabled them to become leaders in football product design. At their recent Football Innovation Summit held at the Battersea Power Station in London, Nike unveiled their most advanced football boot to date – the Mercurial Vapor Superfly II.
As part of their ongoing Considered Design which seeks to offer sustainable and environmentally friendly products that do not compromise performance, Nike will be decking their sponsored national football teams out in jerseys made from 100% recycled polyester for this year’s World Cup in South Africa.
Here’s a look at the first Tier Zero release of the year from Nike – an Air Force 1 High that has been hitched up with a hiking boot inspired design. They’re similar to the Air Royal Mids which were released last year, with the same style lace eyelets, perforated swoosh and choice of laces, but the burgundy coloured uppers are made from a more premium type of leather. The mid-soles are also made from leather, which is something that we haven’t seen on an AF1 for quite a bit.
The Nike Air Force 1 High ‘Hiker’ is available now at Limited Edt Vault 313 Somerset, #04-13/14 Orchard Road, Singapore 233895, T +65 6834 4904.
NikeiD has taken the made-to-order-sneaker concept one step further by introducing their in-depth one-to-one Bespoke service. Peeps lucky enough to sign up for the experience will be able to customise an Air Force 1, choosing from 82 tones of colour and a variety of premium materials to use on 31 different parts.
The kicks take four weeks to be created once the design process is completed and come with a custom sandalwood shoe-insert to keep them in shape. This exclusive experience with Nike design consultants is only available at the 21 Mercer St Nike Sportswear store in New York and comes with a hefty price tag of USD800 a pair.
Check out some pictures of the store and sample designs after the jump.
We recently gave you a look at the high-cut versions of legendary street artist Futura’s latest collab kicks with Nike, and now we’re giving you a look at the lows. Like the highs, these Air Force 1 lows are all crispy clean materials and subtle details. The main difference from the highs, apart from obviously being low-cut, is that the heel logos are embossed. The lows will be available in both white and grey – hit the jump for a closer look.
The Futura x Nike ‘Be True’ Air Force 1 Low will be available from February 2010 at select Nike Sportswear stockists across South East Asia.
