Update: Balmain army, assemble! Olivier Rousteing's capsule collection for NikeLab drops today. Make your way over to Nike's website to claim some gold-trimmed workout gear. The spiffed-up activewear is bound for the closets of anyone who's ever wanted to work out like a Kardashian (but those won't be the only customers vying for these ultra-stylish threads). If you had your eye on a cropped sweatshirt or Balmain-ified FlyKnits, you'll probably want to scoop those up quickly — we all remember #HMBalmainNation.
This story was originally published on May 23, 2016.
It's impossible to deny that Nike's recent string of collaborations appear to be geared toward the fashion-savvy — and, arguably, the Kardashian-inclined. Earlier this year, its ongoing partnership with Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci, previously limited to statement-making kicks, expanded into some print-heavy active apparel. Today, NikeLab announced its latest foray into athleisure domination with a partnership with Olivier Rousteing, #BalmainArmy ringleader and de facto family designer for the Kardashian-West-Jenners. The collection, titled "Football Nouveau," is inspired by the upcoming Euro 2016 tournament, and pulls from Nike's archive of soccer gear. The collection, which is part of the Portland-based sportswear giant's Summer of Sport series, where outside designers reinvent and reimagine Nike's signature styles, features sneakers; jackets (a reinvention of the N98, tailored to create an hourglass silhouette); cropped, sleeveless sweatshirts; track pants, and, according to Vogue, even bodycon dresses. The latter intriguing item has yet to be revealed, but we'll likely get a sneak peek prior to the June 2 launch. Dazed got a look at the full range, photographed alongside archival Balmain for visual reference.
This story was originally published on May 23, 2016.
It's impossible to deny that Nike's recent string of collaborations appear to be geared toward the fashion-savvy — and, arguably, the Kardashian-inclined. Earlier this year, its ongoing partnership with Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci, previously limited to statement-making kicks, expanded into some print-heavy active apparel. Today, NikeLab announced its latest foray into athleisure domination with a partnership with Olivier Rousteing, #BalmainArmy ringleader and de facto family designer for the Kardashian-West-Jenners. The collection, titled "Football Nouveau," is inspired by the upcoming Euro 2016 tournament, and pulls from Nike's archive of soccer gear. The collection, which is part of the Portland-based sportswear giant's Summer of Sport series, where outside designers reinvent and reimagine Nike's signature styles, features sneakers; jackets (a reinvention of the N98, tailored to create an hourglass silhouette); cropped, sleeveless sweatshirts; track pants, and, according to Vogue, even bodycon dresses. The latter intriguing item has yet to be revealed, but we'll likely get a sneak peek prior to the June 2 launch. Dazed got a look at the full range, photographed alongside archival Balmain for visual reference.
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The Balmain touch is certainly felt throughout: There's tons of black and gray with gold accents, both in the apparel and footwear — reminiscent of the French luxury brand's core collection. "When Nike contacted me to collaborate with them, I was really proud," Rousteing said in a statement. "Collaborating with Nike is not only making clothes or sneakers — it is being part of a universal vision."
While he noted that the FlyKnit was his favorite material to work with, sneakers posed the biggest challenge for Rousteing creatively. "I wanted to create something glamorous, while still maintaining the innovation in the shoe," he explained. The marriage of fashion and function is best seen in this category, though: [Rousteing's] obsession with finishing manifests itself especially well in the Magista and the Mercurial [sneakers]," said Nate Jobe, NikeLab senior design director of footwear, in a statement. "In each model, we’ve embroidered patterns into the Flyknit, which creates a completely new expression of the technology."
Given his ultra-buzzy pair-up with H&M last year, the designer is no stranger to translating the Balmain aesthetic he's cultivated since 2011. Still, Rousteing understood that lending his talents to an "institution" like Nike would be a different type of challenge. "More than clothes or sneakers, it is a vision of strong athletes, of winners, of powerful and confident people," he noted. "So as a designer and as a human being, I was really proud to be a part of that."