How Nike Became The Biggest Fashion Brand In The World

If there is a connective tissue to fashion week in 2018, it’s the omnipresent Swooshed sneakers and apparel. Nike’s World Cup collections were spearheaded by Virgil Abloh and Kim Jones. And now, fashionable Nike gear is starting to seep onto the court, too through Elliott’s collection with LeBron James and Serena Williams’s U.S. open uniform designed by Off-White. At Paris Fashion Week this summer, there they were at Undercover, Sacai, Craig Green, Off-White, and Alyx. Fashion week is where brands and designers unveil their new collections, but it’s also increasingly where they flex their hottest new Nikes. Where What are those? takes on a frantic and literal tenor among those in the audience. The strategy stands out from other sneaker companies, who chase down entertainers like Hollywood agents or appoint them brand creative director. The bread and butter of Nike’s business will always be mass-selling, blog-allergic sneakers. But the biggest, most profitable sportswear company on the planet remains steadfast in its commitment to letting starry-eyed designers unleash their strangest design inclinations on its shoes and apparel. Read more at GQ.