Fashion
A new path for Nike to collaborate with Serena Williams’ design team
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Oct
Oct
In 2019, sports brand Nike teamed up with female athlete Serena Williams to create Serena’s own design team, aiming to diversify creativity and design. The team brings together 10 promising and talented designers from New York, each with their own strengths, to collaborate with Serena on women’s sports and fashion footwear.
While the product is the culmination of Nike’s six-month design course, the team’s vision is that diversity, fostering creativity and inclusivity go hand-in-hand with innovation. And in the second year of the course, 11 new members are currently in Chicago.
Below, The Swoosh’s four leaders dive into the design team’s brand foundation, explain how the team created it in partnership with Serena, why curiosity and empathy were integral to the project, and explain how Nike promotes Diversity of the industry.
Mark innovation through diversity
John Hawke (Nike Design Director)
“How would you describe this program? This is Nike’s next step in making this environment a better place. This program reflects our position in the industry. Athletes who represent the company and the customers we serve.”
Jonathan Johnsongriffin (VP of global creative at Nike)
“I see this project as a platform for innovation. Diversity will create more radical solutions. It’s an innovation catalyst that fosters creativity and inclusion. I think working with John, Tatiana, Jarvis and Serena is an opportunity for us to move forward in the future. Innovation.”
Jarvis Sam (Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at Nike)
“You can use two words to describe this project as diversity and catalyst. The show has shown us that we can change and bring new ideas to the industry from a talent and innovation perspective, forcing us to rethink where our talent comes from.”
Jonathan Johnson Griffin
“I’m going to repeat what Jarvis said above. It’s going to be a new definition of the industry. It reminds me of a conversation I had with Serena. She asked me if anyone had been there. Did it, and honestly, no People have. You can feel the spirit and energy radiating from Serena.”
Tania Flynn (VP of Product Design and Creation, Nike Womenswear)
“We tend to think that diversity breeds empathy, empathy breeds curiosity, and curiosity breeds innovation. When you create a diverse team, it’s a team. Creative teams bring their talents to life , their stories and their experiences brought to the table.”
Make the best collaborative version
Jonathan Johnson Griffin
“Serena is really into the show. She wants to meet the members one by one, she wants to see what they’re doing, Serena wants to be part of the show, she wants to be in design reviews.”
Tania Flynn
“When we started talking about Serena working together in every process of this program, she said that we really didn’t differentiate enough on each product, if we could start from scratch. Going in the same direction, it showed that she Really care about the show and every product in it.”
Jarvis Sam
“Authenticity isn’t going to be a buzzword on this show. When you think of Serena Williams as an athlete, you think about grit, grit and perseverance. It’s the same thing. We can be in the people who are involved in it. Find these trait programs in you.”
John Hawke
“What people just heard is the very basic reason for this program. When the first people in the program graduate and complete the program, we are really proud of our ability to innovate. They have proven they can do it, At the same time leading the equality movement in society during this pandemic.”
Build a stronger, more united community
John Hawke
“Sport is one of the ways to help build a better society. Sport that brings unity and confidence is a bridge between people. Those are the reasons for all of our programs. I create, and every product we design, is Empathy is linked, and this is how we can further influence each athlete’s design: .
Tania Flynn
“In the society we are in right now, the unrest has led to important conversations with advertisers. The power of sport to make society a better place, and when you believe in that hope, the way you watch us this and other shows is great resemblance.”
Jonathan Johnson Griffin
“Then you realize the value of the spirit of the project and the spirit of the participants expressed by everyone. That’s why I feel this project is a way. Community connections, bringing us closer to the designer community, passionate about the industry athletes.”
John Hawke
“The designer’s mission to the community is to use their creativity to solve people’s different problems, but first you need to put yourself in other people’s shoes and understand them. As we start our second year of planning, we’ll see apps and these Design is first-hand.”
believe in future designers
Tania Flynn
“Several of us started working at Nike at the same time, and we talked about what we can do at this company to bring the next generation to a new design space, and it got us thinking about the diversity of everything. It’s not just about Diversity of gender, race, experience, age and tenure matters.”
Jarvis Sam
“To be able to create such a program, it takes a leader to empathize with the participants and build it. The leader and these young talents need to put themselves in another place. The practitioners are very connected, not only with them, but with the leaders.”
Jonathan Johnson Griffin
“At the same time, Tania and I are completely different people. We both show diversity from each other’s perspectives, from our influences and inspirations. Give everyone a voice, especially those who don’t. people who open up possibilities for creativity and new solutions.”
John Hawke
“Great design ability comes from diversity of thought, great design appeals, that’s true and will be in the future. When I think about Nike’s advantage 50 years ago and 50 years into the future, that advantage brings Innovative and different ideas from athletes around the world.”
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