Michael Le UPDATE November 9th, 2023: Nigo was recently spotted in New York City wearing the Nike Air Force III. He is currently in town for his “From Me To You” auction event with Joopiter.
Over the course of his longstanding career, Nigo has lent his expertise to countless brands and labels, from Uniqlo UT all the way to Parisian fashion house Kenzo. Looking at sneakers in particular, the legendary Japanese designer has spent the better part of the past two decades in partnership with the Three Stripes. But according to Complex, this 20 year run is soon to come to an end, as they have it in good faith that the BAPE founder has just signed a deal with none other than the Swoosh.
Before he would go on to found Human Made, Nigo stood at the helm of A BATHING APE, whose own sneakers — i.e. the BAPE STA, SKULL STA, Manhunt, etc. — drew heavy inspiration from existing icons. And while the catalog as a whole is worth a write-up of its own, it was the designer’s nod to the Air Force 1 that was the most culturally significant. Today, the silhouette continues to see new colorways, with older offerings now heavily sought after by collectors.
Though Nigo is no longer a part of the streetwear label, his work there is part-responsible for Nike’s recent lawsuit against the brand, which cites that “Bape’s current footwear business revolves around copying Nike’s iconic designs.” That evidently hasn’t stopped the Swoosh from officially teaming up with the man himself.
According to Complex’s sources, the Nigo x Nike collaboration is still in its early stages, and it’s likely we won’t see a release until 2024.
