NIKE LAB | AIR FEAR OF GOD

Nike’s first collaborative project with Jerry Lorenzo, the Founder and Creative Director of Fear of God, is one of epic proportions. Taking his knowledge of design, culture and sport, Jerry and Nike were able to create one of the most disruptive and paradigm shifting basketball collections ever. Focused around a performance basketball shoe and apparel collection that bridged the gap between basketball lifestyle and performance like never before, we knew we had to do something different and unexpected.

Working with Jerry, we knew we needed to communicate this collection in a way that brought the awe and emotion equivalent of a kid getting his first pair of Jordans on Christmas Day. For a kid, who loves basketball, the sport has an emotional element that one can only understand if they’ve been a part of basketball’s unique culture. This emotional connection can open up a world of dreams, belief, opportunity and pure love for the sport. A love that inspires a never-ending lifestyle.

With this work, we aimed to tap into that emotion and love for the game through nostalgia by connecting to a group of kids through a day in their small town, looking to use basketball to make it big. Instead of doing the conventional basketball approach showing a superstar athlete doing superstar moves against a superstar backdrop, we wanted to bring some real soul to the work that resonated with the consumer and their love for the game. Following this group of kids as they hung out and worked on their games, we were able to bring a vibe reminiscent of Hoosiers. This approach allowed us to highlight the product in a new context, show performance basketball and lifestyle in a new light as well as stay true to the Fear of God voice and narrative.