Cult favorite menswear designer John Elliott realizes a childhood dream tomorrow with the launch of his first-ever NikeLab collaboration.
In partnership with NikeLab, Elliott’s eponymous label has executed two premium takes on the classic Nike Vandal. Available in dark “Anthracite” and a lighter “Sail,” the collaboration has been a long time coming.
According to Elliott, he submitted his own footwear designs to Nike 26 years ago — there’s even a letter to prove it.
“When I was eight years old, I constantly drew sneakers in class. My mom encouraged me to send those designs to Nike,” wrote Elliott. “To my surprise, 22 years later, I was reminded of the letter they sent back. I still have it.”
Further connecting the collaboration to the designer’s youth is the Vandal silhouette, which he says was one of his favorite sneakers during the early 2000s.
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“The Vandal was something different… it became part of my identity stylistically,” says Elliott. “When we were greenlight as a NikeLab collaborator, I immediately thought, right there in the meeting, ‘I want to work on a Vandal.'”
Elliott’s vision of the retro basketball sneaker, which debuted in 1984, features a premium suede construction and details such as rolled seams and a layered Swoosh.
Both John Elliott x NikeLab Vandal styles will be released tomorrow exclusively from Parisian retailer Colette and NikeLab P75 Paris. an online launch from johnelliott.co will follow Thursday at 11 a.m. ET. A third and final drop will take place June 29 from online retailer Mr Porter.
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