Business in the front, party in the back: In Riccardo Tisci’s latest collaboration with NikeLab, the Givenchy designer experiments with classic, athletic and edgy styles — yielding one of his most novel projects yet with the sportswear brand.
Tisci’s fashion-forward take on the Air Zoom Legend was unveiled today; it’s one of two styles that will retail Friday at New York City’s NikeLab store on 21 Mercer St.
![Riccardo Tisci nike](https://footwearnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/nikelab-tisci.jpg)
The Air Zoom Legend silhouette nods the popular youth culture of the ‘90s, but Tisci reimagines the style with a “futuristic take on Brazil, waves and movement,” he explained to Vogue.
The chunky heel features teal, pink and yellow hues on a white midsole and translucent sole. The front-facing profile of the shoe resembles a Chelsea boot and incorporates a black upper and subtle black “Swoosh” logo, “a sort of opposite of sports,” he said. “This is a strong shoe with a dual contrast and an experimental style. And the heel had to be important – its aesthetic has always represented strength since ancient Greece, where Achilles’s heel represented the human male force.”
![Riccardo Tisci x NikeLab Free Train Force Flyknit](https://footwearnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/riccardo-tisci-nikelab-free-trainer3-copy.jpg)
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The other shoe style is available in jacquard black with a multi-colored heel.
In August, Tisci released rainbow knit colorways of his Nike Free Train Force Flyknit sneaker.