NIKE X SACAI: A HISTORY OF COLLABORATIONS
JAPAN AND STREETWEAR?
Streetwear has its roots in the streets, drawing inspiration from the people and their influences. Although hip-hop is at the core of this movement, Japanese culture has also found its way into the hearts of streetwear enthusiasts. Japanese artists, influenced by this new wave, developed their own brands with innovative designs and sales strategies. In the 90s, DJ Hiroshi Fujiwara's brand GOODENOUGH emerged. Its uniqueness lies in the limited number and high price of its products, creating a sense of rarity and desirability.
Nike took notice of the brand and developed a collection in collaboration with the Japanese label. Soon after, other brands were born, such as Hiroshi Fujiwara's Fragment Design and the renowned A Bathing Ape (Bape) brand created by Fujiwara's protégé, Nigo. Bape revolutionized the Japanese streetwear market with its exclusive, cutting-edge designs rooted in Japanese pop culture. The stores, with their meticulous décor and unique style, also made an impact, as seen when the famous Parisian trend shop Colette called on their services.
Nigo and Jun Takahashi, the creator of the brand Undercover, collaborated on an extremely limited clothing brand named A.F.F.A (Anarchy Forever Forever Anarchy). This marked the beginning of rarity and exclusivity in fashion in Japan. During this time, fashion houses like Comme des Garçons and Kenzo, a French company founded by Japanese designer Kenzo, gained prominence in the luxury and fashion landscape. Over time, Japanese designers like Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto gained importance in the fashion industry, as did the streetwear movement.
American artists began wearing pieces by Japanese designers, and brands like Nike and Adidas took a keen interest in these new fashion heavyweights, leading to new partnerships. One example is Nike's HTM design department, which includes Tinker Hatfield, creator of the legendary Nike Air Max, and designer Hiroshi Fujiwara. The label Undercover also became a close partner of the Swoosh brand, even today. Iconic collaborations were born, such as the famous Bapesta designed by Kanye West in collaboration with Bape and the Y-3 creative line bringing together Yohji Yamamoto and Adidas. Japanese designer brands collaborated with their American counterparts for unique streetwear collections, including Comme des Garçons and Nike, and BAPE and Adidas.
SACAI, THE HEIR TO JAPANESE STREETWEAR CULTURE
The new Japanese streetwear culture has produced many successors, one of the first and most notable being the SACAI brand. Founded in 1999 in Tokyo, the label is the result of Chitose Abe's work. The designer spent eight years with Rei Kawakubo and Junya Watanabe, managing the design house Comme des Garçons. After learning from these two renowned designers, Abe embarked on her own venture, creating the SACAI label inspired by the diverse and varied world of the Japanese capital.
Known for her work with material juxtaposition, Chitose Abe's name steadily gained recognition in the underground scene. With her conceptual designs, fluid silhouettes, and contemporary models—all characteristic of Japanese fashion—SACAI gradually earned a place in the fashion world. In 2006, the brand debuted its first runway show in Paris, followed by the opening of its flagship store in Tokyo in 2011. The brand then expanded worldwide, with 90 boutiques, and in 2012, SACAI was included in the official Paris Fashion Week calendar. Despite its popularity in the fashion industry, the label remains relatively unknown to the general public. The Japanese brand partnered with Nike for an exceptional neaker collection, bringing greater visibility to Chitose Abe's creations.
NIKE SACAI, AN AVANT-GARDE AND ORIGINAL COLLABORATION
Unveiled during the presentation of the SS19 collection of the Japanese brand, the collaboration between Nike and SACAI created a buzz in the fashion world, particularly among sneaker enthusiasts. After numerous partnerships with other Japanese labels like Undercover and AMBUSH, the American company allowed Chitose Abe to unleash her creativity. Embracing the brand's identity, the designer incorporated the juxtaposition of materials and the contrast of reliefs into Nike's silhouettes. Several sneakers were reimagined, including the classic Blazer and the sporty Waffle.
Completely redesigned, the uppers of these silhouettes were split, giving them a new and avant-garde deconstructed appearance. Featuring various colors that mix red, blue, and green, the first editions of these collaborations were hugely successful. Capitalizing on this popularity, the two brands continued their partnership, developing new colorways for the models and creating a tennis outfit for American female players. In an era where collaborations have become commonplace, the partnerships between American and Japanese brands continue to represent creativity and modernism. The Nike x SACAI collection serves as a perfect example of this synergy.
