Nike launches soccer-inspired collaborations in partnership with Off-White and Kim Jones.

NikeLab in partnership with Virgil Abloh, from Off-White, and Kim Jones express soccer from two distinct perspectives.

In 'SOCCER, MY LOVE', Virgil shares that he wanted to celebrate the different variants of typography. All the numbers printed in the collection refer to those that Abloh wore during his playing years. The logo, a lion juggling dots, pays tribute to the dot pattern that the designer created when explaining, at the most basic level, the best place to strike a ball.

The Flyknit Zoom Fly sneaker is where the collection truly begins, referencing Abloh's version of the Mercurial soccer cleats. "I wanted to show where a player strikes the ball. So, I placed dots on the cleat. If you are going to strike the ball, your foot-eye coordination is basically your only chance of variation. This running shoe mimics a soccer cleat on the field, so you start training unconsciously all the time. Then, I applied that bottom-up aesthetic," he explains.

In 'SOCCER REIMAGINED', Jones saw an opportunity for subversion when looking at the soccer kit. In the collection, the designer confronts the avant-garde of tailoring with sports technology. "That entire punk era was about proportions that empowered. I was inspired by the idea of the time - to cut and piece things together - to create something new," says Jones. This idea, present in the process and aesthetics of the pieces, is also transferred to the sneakers that Jones designed. A hybrid model of his favorite sneakers that may require a keen eye to identify the references. But Jones is confident. "I was looking at the silhouette of the Mercurial along with my three favorite Nikes: Footscape, Vandal, and Air Max 97. Combining them in one sneaker is a tribute to punk in a very well-executed product," he shares. 

The complete Nike x Kim Jones "Soccer Reimagined" collection arrives in Brazil on June 7 and will be available at Nike.com/nikelab. Meanwhile, the complete Nike x Off-White "Soccer, My Love" collection will be launched in Brazil on June 18 at Cartel 011 and Nike.com.br/Nikelab. Both sneakers will also be found at Cartel 011 and Guadalupe.

Check out the promotional photos below:

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