With Net A Porter branching out into sportswear, we’re on the case to suss out the competition from the original leaders of performance clothing. In March we wrote about the stunning partnership between Nike and Yuko Kanatani.
Fashionable workout print has become popular through the likes of sports collaborations and the engagement with fitness/health instagram profiles.
Today we learned that Nike have announced their next collaboration with Brazillian artists Falvio Samelo and Jayelle Hudson. Both Flavio and Jayelle are photographers with distinctly different muses. Flavio’s subjects are predominantly architecture, while Jayelle often photographs nature. Brasil provides an ideal setting for the couple with its beautiful nature in close proximity to its vibrant cities.
Three show-stopping prints have been created by the pair The NTM x Pulso Forte, NTM x Foco Bonito, and NTM x Energía Vivaz will be released in July by Nike.
The Nike Tight of the Moment project marks the first time Flavio and Jayelle have combined their artwork into one creation. The patterns on each tight are born out of a blend of one photograph of architecture from Flavio and one of nature from Jayelle. Their goal was to juxtapose the worlds of man and nature in abstract form. “Most of us live in big cities in which buildings dominate our attention,” Jayelle says. “However, we often don’t think enough of how nature plays a role in our cities. Parks provide an outlet for recreation and reflection and trees give us shade. Our designs look to provide perspective on how the city and nature work in harmony.”
Once the final art was complete, the Nike Women’s design team then tailored it to a body map provided by the Nike Explore Team Sport Research Lab. A body map uses athlete-informed data to show where an individual’s muscles and heating and cooling zones are located. The goal is to strategically place the art on the tights so that it highlights these areas in the legs in a flattering fashion. Digital sublimation technology, which employs a heat press to send ink from a printed picture onto a piece of fabric, transferred the art onto the tights.
In addition to their dynamic look, the tights are designed to perform. Soft Nike Dri-FIT fabric pulls sweat away from the skin to help keep legs dry and comfortable.
