With the World Cup approaching, Nike is set to release its latest collaboration with Off-White leader Virgil Abloh. The result is a line that both celebrates Abloh’s love of soccer and allows him to deliver his perspective on the sport.
“The great thing about the vocabulary and history of football [soccer] is that aesthetically it has its own look. I was always inspired by the way European teams have a sponsor printed over the chest,” Abloh said in a statement. “When I was working on this collection, I wanted to celebrate the different variants of typography.”
His Nike x Off-White collection, the Football, Mon Amour, allowed Abloh to recall memories of his youth, which include listening to hip-hop on his way to high school soccer matches, according to the Swoosh. It also gave him the opportunity to blend his interest in lifestyle and sport branding, Nike said.
Watch on FN
The sneaker in the lineup is the Nike Flyknit Zoom Fly, which Nike said relates back to Abloh’s iteration of the Mercurial soccer boot.
“I wanted to communicate where a player strikes the ball. So I put dots on the boot; if you’re going to strike the ball, your foot-eye coordination is basically the only variance of chance,” Abloh said in a statement. “That’s what the collection started with, these running shoes that mimic…your actual boot on the pitch so that you start subconsciously training all the time. Then I just applied that aesthetic from the bottom up.”
Aside from the sneakers, the collection features apparel such as soccer jerseys.
Abloh’s Nike x Off-White Football, Mon Amour line, with two Flyknit Zoom Fly colorways, arrives in stores on June 14.
Want more?
FN Exclusive: J Balvin’s Sneaker Closet Includes Crystal Air Jordan 1s and Prestos By Virgil Abloh
Virgil Abloh Debuts Louis Vuitton Suit and New Air Jordan 1 Alongside Kendall Jenner at Met Gala
Virgil Abloh Combines Soccer and Running Shoes for Off-White x Nike Zoom Fly Mercurial Flyknit
