Nike Sportswear: Swooshing in a New Direction

In recent years, Nike has diversified with a constant stream of product rollouts, but the company's new direction signals a push for a more unified brand identity. This summer, Nike plans to group disparate product categories such as Nike White and Sport Culture under a single umbrella called Nike Sportswear. As the brand's Global Creative Director Richard Clarke puts it, the goal is "to organize and present our work in one collection."

The Nike Sportswear line, which will be one of the company's six main categories, was unveiled a few days ago in an exhibition at the brand's creative lab in Beijing. Selected guests were flown in from all corners of the world to preview the new line, which was presented alongside video portraits from avant-garde director Robert Wilson.

The line will debut with eight updated iconic styles that celebrate Nike's history, and many are noteworthy for their subtle integration of technical innovations. For example, a series of NSW-emblazoned T-shirts look like cool, everyday tees in bold colors—but, in fact, their inner facing is made with polyester to quickly wick sweat away from the body.

Richard Clarke describes the new collection as "classic," and, indeed, most of the astutely designed pieces can easily be integrated into one's casual wardrobe. Standouts include transparent Windrunners that call to mind Raf Simons' modernist clothes, a pair of Dunks sheathed in a trompe l'oeil dotted laser print and vintage-inspired, Japan-made Wheeler sweaters.

The official global launch of the line is slated to occur on August 8, 2008 (or 08.08.08) to coincide with the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing. And with a close tie-in to an event with such far-reaching import and visibility, Nike's latest branding initiative is sure to reach a huge international demographic.

Nonetheless, the look of Nike Sportswear is actually its finest selling point. For the first time, the brand has created a category-defying collection—one that's less about looking sporty, and more about living a modern lifestyle. It's a new direction with undeniable mass appeal.

—Robert Cordero