NIKE’S SUMMER OLYMPIC COLLABS INCLUDE VIRGIL ABLOH, YOON AHN & MORE

Nike just unveiled another set of collaborative outputs to coincide with the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics, including the likes of Virgil Abloh and Yoon Ahn’s AMBUSH, and not only covering footwear but also marking the production of a broad spectrum of apparel options.

Of course, headlining the project is Virgil Abloh’s OFF-WHITE, who reconvene with the Swoosh to deliver a trio of color options of the Air Zoom Tempo NEXT% running sneakers, as well as T-shirts, crop tops, utility pants and a host of athletic wear: compression shirts, bike shorts, and so on. The apparel is adorned with distinct branding by way of an oddly distorted Swoosh, as well as more intricate detailing on the technical garments. The trifecta of colorful, aggressively-designed sneakers are Virgil’s latest addition to his ever-growing Nike portfolio, and his most functional, tech-laden shoe yet; the Air Zoom Tempo NEXT% is Nike’s latest and greatest in terms of athletic innovation, and Virgil’s direction adds characteristic branding as well as familiar rubber spikes on the outsole.

Yoon Ahn’s label AMBUSH unveiled their latest sneaker with Nike, an “Atomic Green” Dunk High following on from the success garnered from their debutant three colorways from the past 12 months. Not stopping there, we see striking apparel options arriving in a motocross (or perhaps BMX?) inspired form.

Japan native brand Undercover, led by Jun Takahashi, have created a series of basketball-inspired garments from jerseys and shorts to tearaway tracksuits. We also see the unveiling of their next Dunk, which comes as a High top in a red/black colorway adorned with “UBA: Undercover Basketball Association” marking.

My favorite offering, however, comes from Chitose Abe’s sacai and their next addition to their extensive Nike portfolio. Technical garments infused with modern materials and functionality are on offer, all while conserving sacai’s established design philosophies – it’s the perfect meeting of worlds.

The release dates for the collaborations are as follows:

Off-White™ – July 23

Undercover – July 28

AMBUSH – July 30

sacai – August 4