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Nike 2020 Forum Highlights Sustainability and Performance


Nike recently put on their 2020 Forum—a runway show of upcoming products from the sports apparel giant. The show took place during the New York Fashion Week, and during the presentation, Nike revealed that they had partnered with five international fashion icons on new lines that will accompany the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. These partnerships include Yoon Ahn’s AMBUSH, Jun Takahashi’s UNDERCOVER, Chitose Abe’s Sacai, Virgil Abloh’s Off-White, and Matthew M. Williams’ 1017 ALYX 9SM.

For the collaborations, each designer was asked to explore the idea of what an athlete is, and how that athlete can express his or her unique manifestations of sport through athletic apparel. Each of these product ranges were also accompanied by a footwear creation that continues the work created by previous collaborations with these designers. The clothes include uniforms for basketball, track and field, and even the new Olympic sports skateboarding.

The show also included a dance number put on by the runway models. Additionally, a special tribute to Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, both of whom passed away in a tragic helicopter crash on January 26, was held featuring young girls walking the runway wearing oversized Los Angeles Lakers jerseys with Bryant’s numbers 8 and 24.

With the Tokyo games set to be the hottest Olympic Games in history, Nike revealed some new innovations geared toward keeping athletes comfortable. One such innovation is the Nike Dri-FIT Aeroswift material, which is designed to wick away sweat and disperse it throughout the garment for better heat and moisture management. Nike also displayed sustainable materials. Included among those sustainable materials is Nike’s Space Hippie footwear collection that is made from scrap materials harvested from the factory floor.

“The Olympic stage is not a time to be timid,” Nike’s Chief Design Officer John Hoke told the assembled media at the event. “It is time to be bold. So we in the Nike brand, specifically innovation and design, we’re dreaming big. We’re taking daring, bold steps, and we’re taking actions. It’s also not a time to let words sit, it’s time for action.” From what Nike has shown, it’s pretty clear that they’re living up to their word.

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