On an inspirational trip to Tokyo, one of the centers of street culture, Nike ACG’s Global Design Director Stewart Horner came accross a tiny little shop specializing in traditional Japanese fabrics, from 400yr old indigo dyed denim to incredibly intricate hand cut stencils and beautiful silk kimono. Blown away by the craftsmanship and detail, Horner was determined to incorporate this into his design. The result? The Nike ACG kimono jacket. A technical interpretation of the most prestigious Japanese apparel icon
, the print featured on the jacket was made from a 150 year old hand cut paper stencil, printed on a technical interpretation of a traditional kimono fabric with a 20,000mm waterproof breathable 3-layer Nike Storm Fit laminate.
When the snow industries are saturated with heavy and loud prints, Horner takes the total opposite direction and lets the simplicity of the jacket speak for itself. The purple color of the inner layer, representing nobility and high class, has a mix of rich Japanese heritage and premium flair. The iPod ‘holster pocket’ was designed for easy access, and located in a protected location under the wearer’s arm, after extensive ACG athlete feedback from the likes of Andreas Hatveit. The decision was made to design a pocket that allowed the wearer to cross over the body and underneath the arm, to access their music device rather than go straight in the side. This shelters their valuable hardware from impacts and feels more intuitive. Finally, the original 1989 triangle logo references the heritage of Nike ACG. Take a look at the images below.
