Nike and Jacquemus collaborations have, from the beginning, both invigorated and celebrated the nuanced facets and ever-evolving dimensions of what it means to be a contemporary athlete. No exception, the Spring 2024 Nike x Jacquemus Collection furthers the belief that sport isn't simply about performance, it is also an expansion of style and self.
For Simon Porte Jacquemus, sport enjoys a fluid relationship with style. Jacquemus, his eponymous brand, first collaborated with Nike in the summer of 2022, mixing elevated silhouettes with athletic ready-to-wear for a début collection inspired by vintage ACG and '90s Nike campaigns. More recent collaborations, such as 2023's J Force 1—inspired in part by the Air Force 1, an icon of both performance and style—look equally at home in an art museum as they do in lived-in spaces in the outside world.
Femininity. Being true to self. Connecting to nature. Performance. Speed. These concepts are woven throughout the latest Spring 2024 Nike x Jacquemus Collection, which spans six women's apparel pieces; a unisex tee, hoodie and tracksuit bottoms featuring laser-cut Swoosh patterns; a premium brown nubuck refresh of the J Force 1 and the pièce de resistance: Le Swoosh Bag—the first time Nike's iconic Swoosh has been imagined into a handbag and also the first Nike x Jacquemus accessory.
"Late in 2020, when we started to work on Le Swoosh bag, I was obsessed by the Swoosh itself, on its own. It's a unique logo, I wanted to reinterpret it and make it minimal and all about it", says Simon Porte Jacquemus. "Plus, I always love to work on unique shapes when it comes to bags and not thinking only about its utility. I wanted a statement accessory that represents Nike at its purest: the iconic Swoosh itself".
"For me", he continues, "the Swoosh is the ultimate Nike logo that transcends all the generations and all the collections throughout the years and decades. With its minimalism and unique shape, it allows creatives to work around endless designs and interpretations around it".
For their Spring 2024 campaign, Nike and Jacquemus have enlisted athletics world champion, Olympic hopeful, Nike athlete and one of the most stylish and fastest women in the world, Sha'Carri Richardson. Not only does she embody the collection and serve as muse for the campaign, she also represents the dimensions and depth of an athlete who is constantly facing her fiercest and most consistent competition: one's self.
"Fashion is so personal and I definitely use it to express myself—it can show how you feel, your mood, your creativity. From the colours you wear to the risks you take, fashion can be an outlet to show the world a little bit of who you are", says Sha'Carri. "And that's why I'm inspired by Simon's collection; the pieces are edgy and elegant at the same time and it inspires me to keep showing up as I am, while hopefully inspiring others to do the same".
When asked about the moment he knew he wanted to work with Sha'Carri, Jacquemus says, "I was amazed by Sha'Carri's performance in 2023 in Budapest when she became the world champion of the women's 100m. I also loved how she kept her own style and was so fierce and unique when she was competing, regardless of the rules of dressing and kits. It's so powerful to be your own self in the athletic world! I instantly wanted to collaborate with her".
The Spring 2024 Nike x Jacquemus Collection launches on 26 February on jacquemus.com and globally across select Nike retail on 5 March. Le Swoosh bag is available exclusively on jacquemus.com.