You can only do this one place in the world, and I can’t wait to return to 21 Mercer Street in New York with the EC crew so we can participate. Nike Sportswear Bespoke is a new and innovative appointment-based design experience that gives you the opportunity to work one-on-one with Nike Designers to flex your creative muscle and customize a pair of one-of-a-kind sneakers.

I know that you’re thinking this is the same as Nike iD, but it is actually much different. For example, Georgios and I had the opportunity to customize some Dunks at the Nike iD Studio at 255 Elizabeth in NYC last year and we found a set color palette and predetermined material choices. However, during your appointment at Nike Sportswear Bespoke, you’ll be able to choose everything from the the color of your outsole and laces, make color-blocking distinctions on different areas of your sneakers, and choose from an extremely large database of materials.

Reach out to the guys and gals at 21 Mercer and get yourself an appointment to customize a pair of Air Force 1’s. Who knows what’ll be next on the list? I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the Air Max 1 but more than likely it’ll be another one of the icons, the Dunk.

Check out examples of the endless possibilities after the jump.
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Sandy Bodecker - Nike Vice President of Design

This one’s for all the architecture and design junkies out there… I’m in NYC for the official launch of the Nike Sportswear line, and I just got out of a sneak peek of the flagship store at 21 Mercer Street. Tonight there will be a huge block party starting in about 15 minutes that marks one of the biggest launches ever for Nike’s lifestyle gear. I hear that some big names will be attending.

Since I was one of the first people to spend time in the space, I wanted to share some immediate imagery with all the EC readers out there. There are a lot more topics to touch on, but for now, enjoy this unique store/studio space.

The interior of the store is made up of actual materials taken from basketball gymnasiums from the 5 boroughs in New York. This exemplifies the “mashing up” of sport and culture, according to Sandy Bodecker (Nike Vice President of Design aka The Man Behind Nike SB) who you see here jammin’ on his Blackberry at 21 Mercer.

Check out the other photos after the jump. And scroll to the bottom for a special surprise that I’ll elaborate on later.
I’m going to the party now, but I’ll have more to show really soon.
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photos by Daniel Hall

Check out the photos from last night’s Olympic Opening Ceremony/Nike Dunk High Premium release event at STANDARD. Lots of ATLiens showed up including “The Voice of Atlanta” Greg Street and “Mr. Money Machine” Don Cannon.

Also, the Limited PROCESS x El Bar Tomahawk Tee made an appearance. Get yours at El Bar this coming Thursday night [08.14.08]. Check out all the event photos at StandardATL.com

As the focus of the world shifts to the Opening Ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Beijing, there’s nothing more exciting to do in Atlanta on 08.08.08 other than going to the release of these Nike Dunk Supremes at Standard.

You can’t tell from any of the photos on the internet, but the patent leather on all the sneakers have glitter embedded inside the material so that they really pop in person. I’ve got my eye on the super-rare white colorway.

Don’t miss out on free Peroni Beer, beats by Don Cannon, and a raffle to win sneakers from Nike.

photo credit: Ross Martin Photography

Frozen treats don’t stand a chance during the summer months here in Hotlanta. Neither do my sneakers. I like to wear them sans socks, and you know how that goes. Luckily, we’ll have a few weeks of distractions from the heat starting next weekend on August 8th, 2008 with the start of the Summer Olympics in Beijing.

There’s a lot of significance and superstition behind the number 8 in Chinese culture, therefore the opening ceremony of the Olympics will take place at 8:08:08 pm on 8.8.08. To commemorate the event, Nike has a number of sportswear releases dropping in stores everywhere (including your favorite ATL spots) next week on the 8th.

My favorites are these Nike Dunk High Supremes that come in Blue, Black, Red, Yellow, Green, and White (colors of the Olympic Rings & background color) that are made entirely of quilted patent leather. Details include octagon shapes resembling the Olympic Rings on the tongue. The Dunk is one of Nike’s four footwear icons, the others being the Air Force 1, Air Max 90, & the Cortez so it’s nice to see them as part of the Olympic celebration. Keep an eye out for a full blown version of NikeSportswear.com that will feature more octagon related releases and information. I hear the site will be officially launching next Friday [8.8.08]. Tell your friends so they don’t feel left out.

This graphic will be worn on the jerseys of United States Olympic teams at the Beijing Olympics next month. It reminds me a lot of the cut-paper-posters we had to design during our first few months at Portfolio Center (current and former students know where I’m coming from). The “Nike We the People Graphic” draws inspiration from a number of cultural elements and design influences to create a bold aesthetic specific to the USA. When creating the graphic, Nike designers were drawn to tattoos as the first point of inspiration, specifically looking at how the graphic design could align directly to the athlete’s body. The multi-faceted graphic tells the story of many cultures coming together under the common theme of victory. Just like a tattoo on the body, the pattern of the graphic is darker than the base color surrounding it.

Specific elements of the design include:
- The Statue of Liberty, represented by the torch
- Stars and stripes representing the 50 American states
- The date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence
- Decorative elements from our nations’ currency
- The olive branch and arrows from the talons of the American eagle in the Presidential seal
- Celtic, African and Native American symbols and influences
- A bleeding heart representing Hispanic culture

photos by Ted Ullrich

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of spending a few days in Beijing. It was impossible to deny the city’s excitement for hosting this summer’s Olympics games. This media guide was given to people who attended the Nike 706 exhibit inside China’s up and coming arts district recently. The book, called Nike 100 details 100 of the most innovative moments in Nike’s history as a result of obsessive design and pursuit of perfection. As I read through the book, I recalled some of my favorite moments in sports history including Michael Johnson’s gold shoes at the ATL Olympics in ‘96 and Michael Jordan winning the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in his Air Jordan III’s.

At the end of the day it’s all about reducing drag, reducing weight, and creating the lightest aerodynamics possible. Nike was founded by Phil Knight and his track coach at the University of Oregon, Bill Bowerman. Bowerman was obsessed with making footwear lighter and hand-stitched sneakers for his team before they were able to mass produce anything. It’s worth it to check out nikelab.com as it drives home Bowerman’s ethos.

I’ve spent countless hours on nikelab.com watching designer’s video explanations behind the products they’ve made. I even went out to try on the Lunar Racer this weekend. It’s really lightweight and feels like you’re walking on the moon. It’s crazy how they do it.

Thanks to Nike for reintroducing me to my true love. I’ve been rocking these bad boys for about a month straight since our PROCESS photo shoot at El Bar. They’ve touched the holy grounds of all our favorite Atlanta spots from Ponce to Peachtree.

They’re a classic Dunk High inspired by 1984 Vandals that used nylon. The choice of material back then was to create a lighter hoop shoe that feels soft and broken-in the first time you put them on. My Dunk High Nylons [Metallic Gold/Black/White ] are part of a 3 shoe quickstrike pack that includes 2 other colorways. No word on an exact release date, but expect them this summer/fall.

The same innovation push for “superior lightweight” is manifested in modern times through the Hyperdunk which drops on 7/26. If you’re not sure what that is, you’ve obviously been sleeping under a rock. Find out more on that tip here, here, and here. They’ve done an amazing job creating awareness and they KILLED IT with the Back to the Future II tie-in, which happens to be my favorite movie ever. If I could go back in time like Marty McFly, I’d find my way onto the creative team behind the Nike Hyperdunk campaign.

Anyway, if you want to see the Dunk High Nylons in person, you can find me at the Local tonight.