While he may be heralded for his skills as a designer, Olivier Rousteing’s love of soccer hasn’t gone unnoticed. Enter NikeLab, who cherry picked the Balmain bo$$ to collaborate with on its Summer of Sport series. Reimagining traditional soccer designs as modern silhouettes, the NikeLab x Olivier Rousteing: Football Nouveau collection blends the streetwear cool of fashion with the athleticism of the iconic sport and the technically advanced materials that Nike has become synonymous with.
“Fashion is usually about the catwalk and the glamour, but with Nike it was about performance and the athletes,” explains Rousteing. “What I love about this collection is that we are integrating the iconic style of [soccer] into sport style.” From tops and dresses to jackets and a selection of three shoes, the collection is a stylish answer to off-pitch chic. “Olivier was obsessed with the complete look, making sure each piece worked together — not just within the men’s and women’s collections, but also between the two,” confirms Jarrett Reynolds, NikeLab Senior Apparel Design Director. “At every design review, he’d ask, ‘Would a soccer player really wear that?’ That question helped keep the collection rooted in sport.”
Credits
Text Tish Weinstock