Nike and Melitta Baumeister Bring an Avant-Garde Lens to the Vomero Premium and Pegasus Premium

Nike and Melitta Baumeister are joining forces to push the boundaries of Nike Running by reimagining the Vomero Premium and Pegasus Premium for everyday city living, to showcase varying expressions of sport performance.  

Melitta has a reputation for turning the everyday into the extraordinary. Her work recontextualizes running through the lens of avant-garde fashion — bringing forward her unique ability to merge the worlds of high fashion and high performance. 

Known for her sculptural approach to fashion, Melitta sees sport as inspiration more than identity. Her designs speak to fashion-forward everyday athletes, building off a Nike mantra, “If you have a body, you are an athlete.”  

Last October, the Vomero Premium was unveiled at an experiential performance and installation in New York City ahead of NYC Marathon weekend. Nike Athlete Sha’Carri Richardson unveiled Melitta’s Pegasus Premium earlier this month. 

Melitta gave both silhouettes subtle variations, layered color and evidence of the maker’s touch — creating an expressive study of movement and perception. The shoes are hand-painted, making each pair unique, purposefully designed to embrace imperfection as an ode to moving for oneself, not for applause or perfection. “It’s about running for yourself, not for anyone else,” she says.     

“Both the Vomero Premium and Pegasus Premium are iconic franchises that have been staples of the running community for decades,” says Melitta. “Reimagining something so crucial to the everyday runner through the lens of 'Run Like No One Is Watching' allowed me to create a meaningful paradox. The designs are artful and alive. Each hand-painted pair of Vomero Premiums is transformed into a one-of-a-kind artifact of human touch where the paint serves as proof, not decoration. On the other hand, the Pegasus Premium embraces the paradox with a bold, neon design that invites runners to move freely even as the shoe seems to watch them back."    

Layers of graphics and storytelling reveal details such as Melitta’s eyes and hands, giving the design a personal connection and making it feel intimate and relatable. The result is part artwork, part experiment and fully human.  

Melitta’s Vomero Premium is available in Total Orange, featuring two energy-boosting Air Zoom units surrounded by ultrasoft, responsive ZoomX foam and MB branding. The Pegasus Premium, available in Volt, features ZoomX foam, a sculpted Air Zoom unit, ReactX foam and MB branding.  

The Melitta Baumeister x Vomero Premium and Melitta Baumeister x Pegasus Premium will be available April 1 on melittabaumeister.com; April 7 at Dover Street Market locations in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, London, Beijing, Ginza and Singapore; and April 8 across SNKRS and select Nike and NBHD retail locations globally.