With the Olympics only a bit away, Nike went into the lab and outfitted skaters from multiple countries in some brand new threads with some of the best technology across all of the Nike sports. Nike and Team Nike SB wanted the uniforms to be athlete-focused but also trendy and represent the skateboard culture across the four countries that will be wearing this new look.
The countries that the inspiration came from for this new line and the countries that will be wearing the new Nike gear will be the United States, France, Rio, and Japan. Each country is represented with the national colors of that country and inspiration from Tokyo, Japan, the place where the Olympics will be held. From the landscape to the Japanese art, kimono prints bold colors, rock gardens, sun positioning, and so much more, each piece has a unique take on this new look and each skater can make this collection something of their own. From leggings, to long socks, to overalls and so much more, the skaters can mix and match to give this their own specific style and feel. You can either have bold prints or you can tone it down, but this collection is made to make your own.
We know with the Olympics being such a major and momentous event, Nike SB had to give us some new sneakers with these new threads. We have seen quite a few Parra x Nike SB dunk collaborations and we get another with this collection. The relationship between Parra and Nike has been an ongoing one with a great friendship, and being an ex-skater himself, he knows what skaters love and are looking for. This new Nike SB comes in a white leather base with a very vibrant and bold color print, similar to the print on the Olympic apparel. Another favorite that has done multiple collabs with Nike SB is the Quarter Snacks gang, and together, they are bringing up the Quarter Snacks x Nike SB. This shoe comes in a leather zebra print upper and a thinner tongue combo not usually seen on the Nike SB, said to represent the skater that has been on the go and stops into the local shop to grab a quick snack.
The bathhouses in Japan are a major part of Japanese culture. This is a place where people of all walks of life go to relax from a long day of work, from a hard workout, or a long skate around the town. FTC x Nike SB brings this into shoe form with another crazy collaboration that is a must-have. The yellow represents the baskets that are used for towels and the white tile-like upper is an ode to the tile floors. The blue in this sneaker represents the warm water that soothes the body after a long day on the board. When it comes to Gundam, if you know, you know. Nike SB teamed up with Bandai to finally give us the highly anticipated Nike SB High x Bandai x Gundam. This shoe brings together the imagination and creativity that is Gundam. The shoe brings to life the Gundam Unicorn “Banshee”. A clean black upper with an interchangeable Swoosh and the “Banshee” logo on the side of the sneaker, this will be one of the top Dunks of the year.
No official release dates have been issued for these sneakers but look for more information in the near future. Stay tuned here for release information and other news from Nike SB.
