Nike Lab x Olivier Rousteing (First Look)

If there's one fashion icon that has weaved themselves throughout the high street market over the past year, it is definitely the current director behind Balmain, Olivier Rousteing. However, this time, he is temporarily going solo and leaving his Balmain army behind to step into the active and sportswear market with his new collaboration with Nike.

Over the past couples of days via social media, Nike has unveiled a few new images shot by the legendary innovative photographer, Nick Knight, showcasing the soccer-inspired collection in true Balmain style. This is the second collaboration in NikeLab’s Summer of Sport series which has taken on the challenge of blending its innovative identity with another creative vision to mix high fashion and leisurewear together.

“Fashion is usually about the catwalk and the glamour, but with Nike it was about performance and the athletes. What I love about this collection is that we are integrating the iconic style of football into sport style.”- Olivier Rousteing

Coloured in Rounsteing's distinctive and extremely recognisable black and gold colour palette and of course, the colour of champions, the designer has implemented his own aesthetic identity onto the silhouettes of the NikeLab N98 Jacket x OR with styles for men and women, a NikeLab reinvention of the N98 Football Jacket with gold framing, and an embroidered woven crest placed over the heart, the NikeLab Top x OR and four pairs of sneakers. The sneakers Rousteing has designed have been spread across four different and very authentic football silhouettes such as the Footscape Magista, the Free Mercurial Flyknit, the Roshe Tiempo VI and the Free Hypervenom 2.

The collaboration was made even more special because this was actually the first time that Nike as a brand had incorporated and embroidered patterns onto the Flyknit shoe in order to create a new expression of technology and let Rousteing visualise a fresh new look for the signature shoe.

"Olivier is meticulous about the details, with a passion for finding clever ways to embellish existing structures,” says NikeLab Senior Footwear Innovation Design Director Nate Jobe.

The NikeLab x Olivier Rousteing: Football Nouveau collection which can only be described as the ultimate sports lux attire, drops on June 2nd in NikeLab retailers and its online stores so if you love anything Nike and of course, Balmain, make sure you get yourself to your nearest Nike retailer on this day!

Let's have a first look at what Rousteing is bringing to the active-wear market for this summer: