Nike Year of the Dragon

Was invited to last night's launch party for Nike's Year of the Dragon collection. Showcasing the AF1, Air Jordan 2012, Kobe VII, and Zoom KD IV, with streetball competitions, b-boy battles, and international hip-hop DJs (including one of my favourites, Shortkut) providing the entertainment for the evening. More on the event here.

Nike GYAKUSOU x UNDERCOVER

Was invited to the GYAKUSOU x UNDERCOVER pre-launch event at Nike's Harajuku flagship store. The Gyakusou collection takes its name from the small but highly dedicated Tokyo running group of the same name, which includes Undercover founder Jun Takahashi.  "Gyaku" in Japanese means "wrong way" and "sou" means "running" - a reference to the fact that the group runs the city's parks counter-clockwise, as opposed to the norm of clockwise. The apparel collection draws upon an obsession for improved performance through design innovation. So expect a lot of technical, lightweight fabrics, considered cut lines, and functional details.

It was a nice event and was great to run into (no pun intended) some of my old Nike colleagues.  More about the event here.  

DMC China

As part of Nike's Festival of Sport weekend here in Shanghai, they hosted the DMC China finals.

Sport Is Art

Went to check out this Nike pop-up shop opening at Kin. A select number of artists from around the globe were asked to create their own graphic interpretation of what art and sport mean to them. The designs were then printed as tees. It was a nice turn out, with a lot of the local creative community coming out to support. More on the event here.

Destroy To Create

Went to the Nike 'Destroy to Create' event last night, to celebrate the legacy of the Destroyer jacket and preview this coming season's campaign.

In typical Nike fashion, they did a nice set up. Flew in Gildas from Kitsune to do the music. Stuff got 'destroyed'. "Hey drunk people! Here's a sledgehammer! Smash sh*t up!" There's always a few laughs to be had with that.

It was a fun event. More on it here.

Homeless

What more can you say about Japanese people?  Even the homeless have a way of maintaining order and tidiness in the face of adversity. This has to be the best cardboard home I've ever seen.  Bookshelves, mini-kitchen, storage space, even a toilet paper dispenser!  This home was located under a bridge, on a street between Shibuya and Harajuku, just outside of Miyashita Park, which currently is the center of a lot of controversy.

Miyashita Park has long been the home of people without a home. Nike has recently bought this park from the city and is planning to turn it into a skate park.  However, the "residents" there are defiantly opposed to it.  Watch this interesting short documentary on the subject, called "Our Park", by Emil Langballe and Maria Samoto le Dous.

Shaolin Dunks

Nike Flagship Store Tokyo

Back in Tokyo again. Checked out the opening event for Nike's newest flagship store in Harajuku. The expansive 3-level retail space, designed by famed interior design firm Wonderwall, features a "chandelier" of over 400 shoes, and the "Footwear Wall", created from the soles of 1600 shoes. Included are a Runner's Studio, which helps runners analyze their strides, a NikeID Studio for custom footwear, and a Nike Bootroom, which specializes in fitting soccer boots. It was really great to run into a lot of my old Nike Japan colleagues and catch up with them. Congrats on the new store!

New Kicks

One of my boys over at Nike hooked me up with some new kicks: Dunk Low Premium SB - Space Tiger (Randy Colvin).  Based on his skateboard, it features a star pattern on the toe box and side panels, and a tiger print on the tongue, heel tab, and insole.

Just Go Ahead

Recently I went to Beijing for China's largest Sportwear Expo.  All the big brands were there - Nike, Adidas, Puma..but there were also a lot of local brands that I'd never heard of.  I can't even count how many had logos that were variations of the Swoosh.  But I loved this twist on "Just Do It." the most.