Nike has announced a collection of shoes, T-shirts, and more, each featuring a unique perspective on football from Virgil Abloh and Kim Jones.

Kim Jones' "NIKE X KIM JONES “FOOTBALL REIMAGINED”" collection will be available from June 7th, while Virgil Abloh's "NIKE X OFF-WHITE “FOOTBALL, MON AMOUR”" collection will be available from June 14th.


For Abloh, football represents a fusion of his youthful memories of listening to hip-hop on the way to soccer games in high school, and his signature style of playfully mixing brand logos. Abloh's collection, "NIKE X OFF-WHITE “FOOTBALL, MON AMOUR”," is full of bold yet nuanced visual statements, born from his instincts.

Abloh says, "What's great about football's vocabulary and history is that it has an aesthetic that is football-like. I was inspired by the way European team uniforms always have sponsor logos printed across the chest. I also wanted to highlight the use of different letterforms in this collection."


Furthermore, all of the numbers used in the collection are references to jersey numbers worn by Abloh during his playing days. The black-and-white checkerboard jersey references the Czech Republic's uniform, while the team's logo, which resembles a lion playing with dots, pays homage to a timeless coat of arms while incorporating a dot pattern into its most basic expression: the best part of the foot for kicking a ball.

The collection's starting point, the Flyknit Zoom Fly, designed by Abloh, is a nod to his Mercurial. "I wanted to somehow communicate where the player is going to kick the ball, so I used dots on the shoe. When you kick a ball, the coordination between your eyes and your feet is crucial to your success. That's what this collection started with. These running shoes are designed to resemble shoes worn on the pitch, so wearing them subconsciously trains you. I used them as a starting point for the collection," Abloh explains.


In contrast to Abloh, Kim Jones explores the rational side of fashion through football. He takes traditional football apparel such as shorts, jerseys, and pre-match jackets and alters the way the fabric is cut to change the proportions on the body. As a result, his collection, "NIKE X KIM JONES “FOOTBALL REIMAGINED”," is influenced by London punk style from the 1970s and 1980s and further expands the meaning of wearing uniforms meticulously crafted by Italian artisans.

Rather than thinking about football kits from the perspective of the field, Jones sought to subvert that perspective. Nosing back to the glory days of London's King's Road, Jones blended his avant-garde clothing with sports technology.


"The punk era was all about balance and empowerment," Jones says. "I was also inspired by the DIY spirit of cutting up and remaking your own clothes to create something new."

This idea, which heavily influenced the process and finish of Jones' collection, can also be seen in his shoes, which are a hybrid of his favorite sneakers. While the references may not be immediately obvious, Jones is confident in his approach.

"I used the Mercurial as inspiration for the design, along with three of my favorite Nike shoes: the Footscape, the Vandal, and the Air Max 97. Fusing them together into one shoe was, in a way, punk-inspired, but it worked really well."

Each finished product ranges from the familiar to the unique.

The two collections will be available at NIKE.COM/NIKELAB, NIKELAB MA5, DSM GINZA, and select retailers.