032c 造訪 Nike HTM 部門

成立於 2002 年由 Nike CEO Mark Parker，Nike 設計師 Tinker Hatfield 以及潮流教父 Hiroshi Fujiwara 三人所主理的 Nike HTM 特別部門是主要負責 Nike 特別版本的鞋款以及一些類似於 Macropus LC 或 SolarSoft Sandal 等的特殊鞋款在市場上的發售。最近來自柏林獨立雜誌《 032c Magazine》Jonathan Olivares和 Gary Warnett 就有機會對 HTM 和其主理人進行了一次深入的探究。在訪問中著重地了解 Nike 的核心研究團隊的本質，談論到方法，設計和影響因素等話題，同時也藉此宣傳他們的創新精神等有關內容。有興趣的朋友可以通過以下的訪問摘要或通過到 The Business of Fashion 閱讀完整的訪問，同時也可以購買最新一期由 Rihanna 擔任封面人物的《 032c Magazine》雜誌。

How does Nike avoid being the victim of its own success? The answer is HTM, a three-person design collaboration between chief executive Mark Parker, designer Tinker Hatfield, and cultural consultant Hiroshi Fujiwara.

Nike Inc. is a multinational corporation based in Beaverton, Oregon, that employs more than 44,000 individuals in more than 160 countries. Newsweek once said Nike had incited a “new religion of brand consciousness,” while The Los Angeles Times claimed that the company was “so much part of everyday culture in so many countries it’s frightening.” Since Mark Parker became CEO in 2006, Nike’s annual revenue is up 60 percent, profits have increased 57 percent, and its market cap has more than doubled. Yet Parker is anything but complacent: “One of my fears is being this big, slow, constipated, bureaucratic company that’s happy with its success,” he explained.

So how does Nike avoid this, and continue to scale its extreme relevance? The answer is HTM, a three-person design collaboration between designer Tinker Hatfield, creative consultant Hiroshi Fujiwara, and Parker himself, that functions as Nike’s core R&D team. HTM takes its initials from the first names of its members, and was formed in 2002 under the broad mission “to amplify new innovations, reinterpret existing designs, and explore concepts that take the brand to new places.” To date the trio has launched 17 widely varied limited-edition shoes. HTM is an unusual collaboration: it resides within a $26-billion dollar company yet it operates without deadlines or budget constraints and is guided solely by the interests of its three members.

Parker describes HTM as the company’s enema, and he believes it has the potential to change everything. On a pristine day in late August I had traveled to Nike’s headquarters to discuss this unique collaboration, its methods, designs, and impact on the company and footwear design.