Collection Overview: Nike SB Spring '21
Marking the passage from winter to spring in true pioneering fashion, Nike SB’s latest SP21 drop is both visionary and true to form. Saying ‘thank you’ to local skate shops with yet more Orange Label announcements, including first-instalment drops such as the release-exclusive Nike SB Orange Label Dunk High and Dunk Low, Nike SB’s take on the coming warmer months is one filled with nostalgic NBA collegiate reference, throwback ‘skate paranoia’ ‘90s appeal and celebrated skate-specific necessity. With more arrivals due in the coming weeks and months, there’s no denying that Nike SB’s latest collection is set to be onto a winner even in the first few months of 2021.
Aptly titled ‘March Radness’ in honour of the 68-team college basketball tournament that debuted way back in 1939, Nike SB’s timely drop pays homage to varsity vibes with block-tone ‘school colours’ and preppy University-style logos that take full advantage of the brand’s youthful ethos. Tapping into the brand’s ultimate transgression from courtside culture during the early 00’s, footwear releases such as the classic courtside coloured Nike SB Adversary Premium and the upcoming Blazer Mid Pro and Heritage Vulc turn their attention to answering the demands of revolutionised tradition, whilst new-season apparel such as the monochrome Mockneck Fleece and the water-repellent Anorak Jacket serve benchmark ‘college coach’ vibes mixed with classic character and windbreaker undertones that hail from Nike’s OG Windrunner from ‘78.
For Nike SB’s Y2K release, think 1999 skate-culture vibes, fast-paced ‘end of the world’ obsessions and odes to the closing decade’s party-hard state of mind. Celebrating the era that brought us the iMac and the internet, dial-up version 1.0, Nike SB’s Year 2000 collection for SP21 is not only forward-looking but wishfully sentimental too. Inspired by vintage track-and-field profiles, hip-hop uptakes and lounge-minded aesthetics, the Nike SB Y2K GFX Track Pants are designed with skate-specificity in mind, whilst the similarly styled logo-led Nike SB Classic T-Shirt and Nike SB Classic GFX Hoodie let fine-font aesthetics tell the story of SP21. Pairing with ESPN Magazine’s ‘X-Factor’ Nyjah Huston, the yesteryear-inspired collection is also set to welcome a neon-hued remastering of the pro-skater’s iconic Nyjah Free 2 signature silhouette - a luminescent all-rubber design definitely worth keeping an eye out for once it drops.
A staple of any seasonal wardrobe come rain or shine, graphic tees are an everyday essential that Nike SB continues to master with ease. Famed for their streetwise prints, skate-led illustrations and even for notable collaborations such as 2020’s ‘Artist Series’ instalment featuring independent artists such as Javier Mendizabal, Mooncasket and Paulista Paulo Cesar Silver, the brand’s latest SP21 release is one that focuses on friendship and authentic artistry as well as the brand’s own ode to creative expression. For fans of light-hearted illustrative designs and cartoonish characteristics, the new-season Nike SB Friends T-Shirt or the mythical Dragon T-Shirt mix classic against-the-grain Nike SB vibes with modern-day quirks, whilst the tattoo-inspired Darknature T-Shirt and the abstract full-colour Nike SB Duck T-Shirt honour the brand’s ode to originality. Photo-illustrative designs such as the Nike SB Bee T-Shirt offer a refreshing alternative to the brand’s usual graffiti-inspired tone, whilst season-friendly all-cotton fabric formulas help provide for a more lightweight, breathable and long-lasting wear regardless of setting.
Bringing back the ‘Hack Pack’ and it’s ‘DIY’ aesthetics seen across last-year releases such as the Sashiko-styled Nike SB Janoski RM Premium and Blazer Mid Premium Shoes, Nike SB’s SP21 Blazer Collection is one that celebrates heritage and authentic identity through a single, albeit unrestrained, lens. Paying respect to both the origins of skateboarding and to the profile’s legendary basketball debut, the purple-nebula, iron-grey and colour-blocked viotech Nike SB Blazer Mid Edge Shoes arrive as new-season ‘Hack Pack’ silhouettes for the coming months, whilst the arrival of the all-new Nike SB BLZR Court sneaker is hotly anticiapted with features such as the reinforced ollie-patch and deconstructed canvas uppers for a unique new-era twist. The BLZR Court mixes purpose with pleasure for a striking signature to rival it's compounded sibling, the Nike SB Bruin React. Long-time skate legend and team-rider Grant Taylor marks yet another signature release with the return of yet more twin-toned Nike SB Zoom Blazer Low Pro GTs, whilst an upcoming release from fellow rider Stefan Janoski is set to raise the bar for yet another season.
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