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In recent years, Nike has emerged as a major force in the fashion world. Its roster of collaborators includes Virgil Abloh of Off-White and Louis Vuitton, Matthew Williams of Alyx and Givenchy, Kim Jones of Dior, and lastly, but certainly not least, Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons. That list packs enough star power to send fashion fanatics and hypebeast sneakerheads into a frenzy with one simple push notification from the SNKRS app. And this month, the Swoosh is really bringing the fashion heat in the form of two extremely covetable sneaker collaborations—and, perhaps more notably, one next-level apparel collection.
First up is the Nike x Comme des Garçons Air Force 1. Kawakubo has made the iconic, streetwear-loved sneaker feel conceptually rougher by reworking the usually straight silhouette with clever cut-outs and raw edges. As a finishing touch, the belt that wraps around the shoe is embossed with neat-but-powerful Comme des Garçons text.
The second big-hit footwear collab comes courtesy of Air Jordan and Hiroshi Fujiwara’s Fragment label. The AJ35, the newest iteration of MJ’s signature shoe, blends Jordan’s latest on-court innovations with Fujiwara’s signature black, white, and blue. The sneaker’s most outrageous feature, the tech-y Eclipse Plate, puts a donut-grade hole center of the midsole—which feels even more space-age when rendered in Fragment’s color palette.
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Perhaps unsurprisingly, both sneakers are presently sold out. You can, of course, turn to the aftermarket. And as a slight consolation, you can still get your hands on the Swoosh’s next-level…clothes?
In Nike’s “Every Stitch Considered” collection, clothes are jam-packed with sportswear-inspired tech, but feature sleek silhouettes that will give the slickest minimalist gear in your closet competition. (The first batch is out now, with more styles to be made available in the forthcoming weeks.) There are modern-looking polo shirts, tapered trousers, tailored jogger pants, and quite a few sleekly designed jackets.
Taking a closer look reveals artful seams and sporty fabrics that have been precisely chosen based on how the body moves. Nike is pairing new-world innovation with old-world Italian craftsmanship for clothing that feels premium and athletic all at once. The future of sportswear is here, and it is blending sports science research, product innovation, and high fashion all into one. Just don’t call it athleisure.
