In what many might consider an unlikely partnership, artist, Tom Sachs, and Nike have come together to collaborate on an artisanal capsule collection, capturing the dynamic of Tom's D.I.Y. aesthetic and the wide reaching Nike brand in a release entitled, NIKECraft. Launched on the eve of Tom’s SPACE PROGRAM: Mars, where the artist simulates a mission to the Red Planet, the joint venture fuses the design sensibility Sachs brings to space travel.

 

The collection is inspired by the journey itself - astronauts must not only be in peak physical condition, but their gear must stand up to the most unforgiving conditions - and as such, the NIKECraft pieces have utilized materials never used before in sportswear, including fabrics taken from automotive air bags, mainsails for boats and the space suit itself.

 

The Mars Yard Shoe, the Trench, The Marsfly Jacket, and the Lightweight Tote are designed with functionality in mind - the kind that would prove useful in space. Zipper-pulls double as storage containers, paracord can be refashioned as a tourniquet and the periodic table of elements is handily screened on the inside of a jacket, all merging visual interest with purpose; a celebration of form and function.

 

 

Adam Bryce