Obscura Magazine Takes Us Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker’s Office

In their latest issue, Obscura magazine takes us inside Nike CEO Mark Parker’s newly renovated office at the sportswear giant’s Beaverton, Oregon headquarters. Featuring an art collection of over 1,000 pieces, the office and meeting space keeps the visionary inspired as he sketches ideas for new designs. Pet goldfish, signed Air Jordans, and the now well-known bust of Abraham Lincoln, the office is littered with pop culture-inspired artwork that is as fresh and relevant as Parker himself. Take a look inside and pick up issue 14 of Obscura magazine to see the full article.

Read More

Nike Kobe 9 Elite Featuring Flyknit Technology

Today Nike unveiled the latest Kobe Bryant signature shoe at an event held at The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles. The Kobe 9 Elite redefines both the look and feel of a basketball shoe, incorporating Nike Flyknit to combine, as Mark Parker, President & CEO of NIKE, Inc. says “power, strength, and flexibility with lightweight materials and a whole new method of manufacturing.” Reverting back to a higher cut for the first time since his third signature shoe in 2007, Kobe’s ninth namesake shoe also features Flywire and Lunarlon giving the sneaker superior lightweight performance and strength. Design details include nine red embroidered line on the heel, giving a nod to Kobe’s Achilles sutures, and an outsole featuring the pressure mapping of Kobe’s own foot. The first colorway, dubbed ‘Masterpiece,’ will release globally on February 8, 2014 at Nike.com and through select global retail locations.

DROP OR COP?

Read More

Kanye West Reportedly Leaves Nike and Signs Deal with adidas’s Y-3

Kanye West has reportedly left Nike to pursue his own line with adidas’s Y-3 label. Referred to as “YEEZI,” the new venture is suspected to be the outcome of Kanye spending time at the 2014 Mercedes-Benz NYFW show with Y-3 lead designer Yohji Yamamoto. “You see me in interviews how I want to do clothes,” said Kanye at his November 20 performance in Brooklyn. “I want to let you know I signed my deal a week and a half ago.”

Let’s say this is true, and let’s assume the Nike Air Yeezy 2 “Red Octobers” still go on sale… Eventually. Once all that is finished, what should we expect from Kanye’s new line? From high fashion down to performance wear, there will simply be no limits (considering Y-3′s history). This might be Y-3′s best move in a long time or it might be the worst move the label has ever done.

At the same time we are hearing that Kanye West continues to design his own namesake brand with a team in Milan, also including his very own footwear under the Kanye West name. The issue with that, as we have seen with his first brand Pastelle a few years ago, you cannot be sure that the goods will ever come to market.

As usual, we will of course keep you posted.

Read More

Kanye West Confirms adidas Partnership and Details Why He Left Nike

During his recent interview with Angie Martinez on New York’s Hot 97, Kanye West confirmed that he has formed a partnership with adidas. “So then I start turning up in the BBC interview,” Kanye explains. “So [Nike] said, ok cool, we’re gonna give you a bigger sandbox to play in. We’re gonna give you this amount right here to design, and two collections a year, and 30 SKU — that’s the amount of items that you have. Would that make you happy, Kanye?” And rightfully so, Kanye replied: “I need royalties.”

Nike reportedly told him that wasn’t possible because he isn’t a professional athlete. To which he righteously replied, “I go to the Garden and play one-on-none. I’m a performance athlete.” He continued, “So the old me, without a daughter, would have taken the Nike deal because I just love Nikes so much. But the new me, with a daughter, takes the adidas deal because I have royalties and I have to provide for my family.”

Watch the video here below, of Kanye West talking on Hot 97, about the situation.

Read More

A Day in the Life of Nike CEO Mark Parker

Nike CEO Mark Parker was the recent subject of a “day in the life” editorial by The Wall Street Journal that chronicled the daily routine for the $35.2 million dollar a year head honcho. Noting that the brand is up 60 percent since he took over in 2006, the reader is privy to how he got his start, as well as his contributions to the vaunted brand like the Flyknit and FuelBand. Read theWall Street Journal piece here and here.

Read More