NIGO & Nike’s Retro Sneakers Are an IYKYK Sneaker
Finally, NIGO has spoken.
The Japanese streetwear OG has been cryptically teasing his first Nike collaboration for almost a year, wearing pieces of collaborative Nike merchandise to let everyone know something's in the works with the American sportswear giant. However, he’s never really revealed what he and Nike are working on behind the scenes.
The first piece of official information finally arrived on August 22, with NIGO posting an old-school-style poster on his Instagram account confirming some information about the collection.
First, the poster reveals that the release date is at some point this year — that at least narrows it down to a four-month time period.
Plus, the poster has a shoebox in the center confirming that there will be a NIGO x Nike Air Force 3 as part of the collaboration. We knew something was afoot when NIGO started stepping out in never-seen-before Air Force 3s, but now the news is confirmed. The only question is: which pair is releasing?
There’s the light tan pair NIGO was spotted wearing at the end of last year, the white pair with various bright-colored overlays that was teased alongside an Air Force 1 collaboration, and, most recently, the resale page Horhead Sales has got its hand on a multi-colored patent leather pair — there’s no indication which of the Air Force sneakers will make it to shop floors.
Plus, there’s the NIGO x Nike sweatshirt the designer teased during KENZO’s Fall/Winter 2024 show, which is presumably also part of the collection.
There are still a lot of open questions about the collaboration but NIGO has given us a small peek at what’s to come and some insight into the inspirations behind the collection.
“This collection reaches into many corners of culture, expressing a deep love for the movies, music, and traditions of craft that have influenced the practice of NIGO,” reads the poster uploaded to NIGO's Instagram account. “A gentle pull on one thread promises to unravel a rich web of inspiration and reference. If you know NIGO, you know…”
