Ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which begins in Russia on June 14, Nike officially announces a new leg of its thriving partnership with designer Virgil Abloh. The OFF WHITE founder has a deep-rooted affinity for soccer dating back to high school when he him played. Abloh would listen to his favorite hip hop songs en route to soccer matches. It’s memories like those that help inform this budding assortment of kits and sneakers.
Youthful memories pose as the soundtrack for the OFF WHITE x Nike “Football, Mon Amour” Collection. Juxtaposing lifestyle and sporting heritage, the offering is both visceral and cutting. Masterfully stated through traditional soccer graphics from time-honored European clubs, Abloh, in his own unique way, manages to reach back whilst remaining current. “I was always inspired by the way European teams have a sponsor printed over the chest,” Abloh recalls. “When I was working on this collection, I wanted to celebrate the different variants of typography.”
Numbers on each jersey harken back to Abloh’s playing days, and the numbers he wore while canvassing the pitch. Moreover, further ode to iconic soccer reference is seen through Czech stripes and the club’s logo, a lion juggling dots.
The dots, of course, are a fixture on Abloh’s shoe — the OFF WHITE x Nike Zoom Fly Mercurial Flyknit. “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. That’s what the collection started with, these running shoes that mimic the same as your actual boot on the pitch so that you started subconsciously training all the time. Then I just applied that aesthetic from the bottom up,” Virgil explained.
Abloh’s OFF WHITE x Nike “Football, Mon Amour” Collection drops on June 14th at select retailers globally and on Nike.com.
