Nike Showcases 2014 Football Innovations

Nike today unveiled its entire collection of footwear, apparel and equipment innovation for players and fans, inspired by the upcoming summer of football in Brazil.

“This summer is the ultimate moment for the beautiful game, and the ultimate moment for Nike to revolutionize product design,” said Mark Parker, President and CEO. “Moments like this summer in Brazil allow us to supercharge our innovation as we look to provide athletes with every advantage on the world’s greatest stage.”

ATHLETE JOURNEY – PLAYER COLLECTIONS

All home and away kits for the ten federations that will wear Nike in Brazil were showcased at an event in Madrid. The kits combine high-tech innovation to keep players cool, such as laser-cut ventilation, engineered mesh and Nike Dri-FIT technology. They are also environmentally sustainable, with each kit made from fabric that comes from recycled plastic bottles. Visually, each kit features cultural design elements unique to each country.

Nike has also created a collection for players to wear throughout various moments during the tournament.  Dubbed the “athlete journey” collection, and overseen by Martin Lotti, Creative Director for Nike Football, outfits players all the way from warm-ups, anthems, playing and training, to media appearances, travel and downtime in the training camp.

“The overall goal was to create iconic and memorable pieces for the players to wear throughout their time in Brazil,” said Lotti.  “This is the biggest moment in their football careers; we wanted to deliver players our very best product to help them perform their best on-pitch and inspire them off-pitch.”

“We first sat down to work out which moments during the tournament were most in need of a specific outfit, then met with the players and federations to develop the products and styles. We want to elevate each moment through premium products and styling.”

“For training, the players will have the best innovation we have to offer. The Select Training Top, Perforated Shell, LS Mid-Layer Tee, Woven Jacket and Short will all be in the players’ kitbags,” Lotti explained. “This is innovation that performs as well as it looks. Players tell us that if they look good, they feel good and play well.”

OFF-PITCH

Lotti and his team also designed and curated a wide range of off-pitch lifestyle pieces linked to each federation for fans.

The off-pitch styles include: The N98 Track Jacket, The Nike League Polo, Nike Tech Pant, Tech Fleece Full Zip Hoody, The IRD Saturday Jacket and Tiempo ’94.

The pinnacle piece in the collection combines Nike heritage and the latest in innovation for life; The Tech Fleece N98 Track Jacket aligns the classic N98 silhouette, first introduced in France 1998 by The Selecao, with the most current innovation piece from the Nike Sportswear catalogue – Tech Fleece. This item was created for Brazil, England and France - Nike federations who have enjoyed success in previous tournaments.

ARTIST COLLABORATIONS

“These collections allow players to be unified and stylish off the field, and are also available for fans to show their support,” said Lotti.  “But we also know football inspires people everywhere, so we haven’t just focused on the players, and have collaborated with the larger Nike design community on various special projects connected to this summer.”  

Amongst those projects inspired by football is a collaboration with the Nike SB team and graphic artist Flip. The collaboration encompasses three limited edition jerseys for Brazil (home and away) and the U.S. (away). The shirts use the same performance materials and innovations as the Official Match jersey –worn by the players on the pitches this summer. The special skate jersey will be worn in this summer’s Nike SB World Tour by athletes including Luan Oliveria and Sean Malto.

EXPANDING THE COLLECTION

Lotti’s team also worked with the Women’s Training team, Nike+, Hurley and Jordan Brand teams to create pieces inspired by football in Brazil.

Hurley will offer national team versions of their iconic Phantom boardshort for the Brazil, U.S. and French teams. Each short is designed to graphically reference the national team shirts whilst delivering the best in surf performance innovation.

For female fans, the Women’s Training team created “Tights of the Moment” inspired by the Brazil, France, England and U.S. teams, as well as a special version of the Nike Free 1.0 Cross Bionic with graphics that connect with each of the tights.

Jordan Brand created a special edition version of the Air Jordan 6 to celebrate Brazil’s quest for their sixth star.

“Neymar loves Jordan. Jordan loves Brazil and the style of play. The team chose the Air Jordan 6 as a nod to the Brazil team going for their sixth victory,” said Lotti.

The larger Jordan Brand collection inspired by Brazil will be released in the coming weeks.

Also included in the showcase is the Nike+ FuelBand. Created in a Yellow Gold METALUXE edition. Created just for the players and staff of the Brazil, England, France and U.S. teams, this version features the federation logo engraved on the gold clasp and a ‘picahau’ graphic engraved on the golden ‘doors’ of the product.

The graphic also appears on a limited edition version of the Nike Ordem Ball, which launched in late 2013 and is the ball of choice for all Nike’s federation partners. Nike is also the official ball supplier to the Barclays Premier League, La Liga, Serie A (Italy) and all competitions run by the CBF.