Liberty x Nike Blazer

In one of Nike’s most memorable releases for the ladies in 2008, Liberty and its bright and colorful fabrics make a return on one of Nike’s most iconic models. Previously the focus of last year’s collaboration, the Dunk makes way for the Blazer to enter the spotlight. The floral patterns are reproduced throughout the upper of the shoe. Look for an official release in the very near future however an allotment has made its way to BOBOS.

Beaverton, OR (January 12, 2009) – Bringing together the best of Nike’s 36-year sports heritage with the latest and most advanced design innovations available, Nike Sportswear continues its icons for women. First released in 2008, the Nike Dunk Liberty was an immediate hit. Nike’s Design team is continuously given the mission to remix Nike’s icons with the best materials. This season Nike continues its partnership with Liberty remixing two of women’s most revered icons – the Nike Dunk and the Blazer.

The Nike Dunk

First released in 1985, the Nike Dunk has crossed boundaries probably more than any other Nike product. It is a basketball shoe a skate shoe, a BMX shoe, a vintage shoe, a piece of history, a work of art and a style icon. 1985 was a time when culture and sport crossed genres with an intensity never before witnessed and a new age of self-expression was born. Representing this movement was the Nike Dunk. It turned teams into tribes, individuals into movements, and the definition of a basketball shoe on its head. 22 years later, what was born on the hardwoods now lives among a global neighbourhood, but above all the Nike Dunk is a reminder of what happens when you’re true.

The Blazer

The first Nike Blazer was a pioneering shoe. Released in 1973, it took its name from the Portland Trail Blazers; as Nike’s first hoop shoe, it proved worthy of its name. A welcomed departure from its more clunky counterparts of the time, the Nike Blazer offered several features designed to improve performance basketball footwear for the game: fine grain leather, outsoles that offered greater traction, extra support, less weight. It wasn’t long before the simple white hi-tops with the elongated Swoosh design became de rigeur on and off the court, leading the way for Nike’s dominance as a basketball/lifestyle brand.

Two icons remixed with Liberty fabric

Liberty fabrics are characterized by tender palettes, all over floral prints, and detailed movement, which is the perfect juxtaposition with the clean design lines of the Blazer and the Nike Dunk. This season the Nike Design team used Liberty’s Phoebe, Nina, Venus Leaf and Strawberry Thief Liberty fabrics. While the Blazer’s two styles are each solidly draped in either the Nina or Phoebe patterns, the two new versions of the Nike Dunk Hi use three of Liberty’s signature materials – Nina, Venus Leaf and Strawberry Thief – patched together on the shoe like a quilt, intricately placing the materials side by side.

The Liberty versions of the Nike Dunk Hi and the Nike Blazer will be available at the Nike Sportswear store at 21 Mercer Street, New York City and select Nike Sportswear retailers. Please visit www.nikesportswear.com for locations.

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