Nike x Martine Rose

December 11, 2018

Designer and office Issue 09 subject Martine Rose has teamed up with Nike on the pair's first collaborative collection. But unlike other brands, who use the legacy and clout of a label as huge as Nike, to create something larger than life, Rose decided to "celebrate the superhuman in the most human way."

This meant that she decided to do a secret pre-release of the capsule, which features tracksuits, football jerseys and an all new Nike Air Monarch, via Craig's List this week. As for the campaign imagery, Rose selected office's neighbor, A$AP Eva, who was featured in office Issue 08, to star in the campaign, alongside three London-based creatives (and one of their pet ferrets) who've all been doubling as her Craig's List sellers as they peddle a limited group of pieces from the collecton to select buyers in London and New York.

Rose took the same approach when it came to the actual garments, taking traditional Nike staples and subverting them to produce pieces that are, at the same time, true to the Nike aesthetic yet completely—and uniquely—Martine Rose.

A "love letter" to London, the collection mixes silhouettes and styles she sees as undeniably British with the American standards of something like the Nike Air. "It was very intentional to use the Monarch as the silhouette, being a very American shoe, and then put it with the very English silhouette of the tracksuit," she said.

Using pieces from the Nike archive, the designer selected looks that reminded her of her own experience growing up in the UK, while also exploring aspects of class in American culture.

"Going into the archive I wanted to find a classic English silhouette, similar to the JD tracksuit that reminded me of my youth, coming home from school and immediately changing into it or going out on a Saturday night in that same tracksuit," she told i-D. "The particular silhouette I chose reminds me of that time. I wanted the trainer to reflect the heritage of both brands, I was interested in a classic 'middle America' shoe as it has its own culture surrounding it.”

She was also inspired by basketball players—and their size. Instead of reworking of her pieces to fit small, feminine bodies, or even regular menswear sizing, Rose wanted to harness the 'superhuman' feeling of these athletes, using their proportions to create the scale of her actual designs.

Though, despite being so influenced by athletics, and traditional sportswear pieces, like tracksuits and jerseys, the designer wanted to make it clear the collection wasn't about sports. For her, clothing isn't about styles or trends, or even size and gender, it's about how people engage with her pieces on an emotional level, and labels like 'sportswear' or 'ready to wear' minimize that goal.

"I have never been interested in fashion," Rose explained. "I've always been interested in how people interact with clothes. It says so much about who they are, who they want to be. It’s an emotional thing.”

It certainly is for us—and we can't wait to get our hands of Nike x Martine Rose. Dropping officialy (and not on Craig's List) this January, view the collection, below.

The Nike x Martine Rose collection is available now for a limited time on Craig's List. The full collection will drop this January.

Photos courtesy of Nike x Martine Rose.

Fashion

Total Recall

Born in the Moroccan town of Tétouan and educated in Paris, Khattabi’s upbringing required him to make sense of how the different influences surrounding him could align. In turn, his designs explore the embedded codes and history of his bicultural background. Total Recall addresses this phenomon by including garments meant to reflect adaptation and transformation. Skirts made of tire covers and motorcyle tarpaulins refashioned into dresses are scattered across the collection, conveying notions of displacement. Blending these elements adds an industrial touch to the pieces while still keeping a sense of movement.

From sweatpants infused with polka dots to nostaglic slogans and banner display, the ensembles symbolize hidden identities and memories. Giving us a glimpse into his own memories, Khattabi's work evokes affection for the past. It's a nod to the interconnectedness of culture and how we interact with its complexitites creatively. View the collection below.

reward if found is available at LN-CC, 10 Corso Como, Gr8, Opener, and more selected retailers globally.

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Dr. Martens x MM6 Maison Margiela reveal their first capsule collection

November 12, 2024

Dr. Martens and MM6 Maison Margiela have teamed up for the first time to launch a Fall/Winter capsule collection that reinvents classic footwear with a fresh twist. The collection combines four iconic Dr. Martens styles—the 1460 and 1490 boots, the 1461 shoe, and the Penton loafer—into three unique hybrid designs, each with MM6’s special touch.

Revealed at MM6 Maison Margiela’s AW24 show, these designs mix familiar Dr. Martens silhouettes in surprising ways, adding bold new details. Each piece has Dr. Martens’ signature yellow stitching and AirWair heel loop, along with MM6’s unique numbered imprint.

The Dr. Martens x MM6 Maison Margiela collection launches November 19 on both brands’ websites, in select MM6 stores, and at limited retailers.