It’s easy to be gung-ho about those fitness-oriented New Year’s resolutions in January, but by the time mid-February rolls around, the enthusiasm has all but worn off. It’s cold out, the sun sets early, and staying in with pizza and Netflix is often much more appealing than breaking a sweat. However, Nike’s new collaboration with Sacai is proving to be exactly the kick in the butt we needed — if not to get to the gym, then to at least dress the part. Business of Fashion reports the brand has teamed up with the Japanese label on a collection of activewear that’s functional, but also incredibly cool.
Sacai designer Chitose Abe, formerly of Comme des Garçons, already has a loyal following, thanks to her talent for reinventing classic pieces — like unexpectedly layered lace dresses and bomber-jacket mashups so bizarre they're beautiful. She's sticking with the same strategy this time around. Taking cues from the Nike archives, her eight-piece collection includes revamps of brand signatures, like a skirt that’s inspired by the heritage Windrunner jacket, or a hooded sweatshirt topped off with peplum detail.
Air Max and Dunks sneakers score a second life, too, in the form of slip-ons with a wedge. As Nike president Trevor Edwards told BoF, “One of the things that we recognize, certainly in the women’s business, is that there is no performance without style,” and Sacai delivers it in a way that's more wonderfully weird than your typical designer athletic line. As Nike and Sacai's full-skirted bottoms and tees trimmed with lace mesh show, the athleisure trend is not exclusively about casual comfort or working out — it can be elegant and edgy, as well. The full collection arrives March 19. (Business of Fashion)