When Moroccan Embroidery inspires the design of Nike's Air Max 97Sk

In 1950, two visionaries: Bill Bowerman, an athletic trainer in the university of Oregon in the States, and Phil Knight, an accounting student and amateur racer, thought they could do an exceptional job at designing and selling shoes to runners. They were right. And that belief gave life to the world’s leading innovator in athletic footwear, equipment and accessories. That belief gave life to Nike.

Being one of, if not the most, dominant sports brands in the business, Nike has been exponentially expanding overseas. And just recently has the giant entered the Moroccan Market. It was in fact last year when we heard the great news: Nike has given BD International Group, the exclusive distribution license of their products in Morocco. And it was actually last week, when we heard the even greater news: The design of the Air Max 97Sk has been inspired by Essaouira.

This is hands down one of, the most authentic collaborations we’ve seen from Nike in recent memory, as they teamed up with the British rap artist Skepta, who’s wildly known for rocking nothing but Air Maxs.

For this release, the legendary artist turns his attention to the Air Max 97 which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, to pay homage to it. In this remix, Skepta wanted to introduce some visual elements of the Moroccan embroidery, which he fell in love with during his recent trip to Morocco. Essaouira provides the inspiration for this rendition with a glimmering upper that celebrates that vibrant Moroccan city. Although the new air max is completely unique, it does somewhat stay true to the original silhouette.

What’s more? The ad of these iconic shoes has also been entirely shot in Morocco. In the promotional video, Skepta talks about his inspiration for his collaboration with Nike Air Max, and describes the connection he felt with Morocco. The young people running the streets, the royal embroidery of casual wear and many others elements, got Skepta infatuated with Morocco. Explaining the role our country has played, Skepta said “I found Morocco, and it was perfect. Everything I wanted to feel about peace, I found it there.”

Granted, associating the two worlds of Nike and Morocco, has never brought us greater joy. But, that's not the first time this magic has happened. Only a month earlier, Nike made headlines in Morocco, when It capitalized on the famous L’KORA L'ARDIYA as a means of communication; The advertising support had 4 beautiful sides that light up at night, to announce the opening of the new Anfa Nike Store. True to themselves, Nike's marketing efforts definitely didn’t go unnoticed.

This is how Nike impacts the world. This is who Nike sees the world – it defines the endless possibilities for marketing potential, sets the tone and direction for the numerous long-term growth opportunities they see. and that, alone, is the reason Nike is leading the sports business.