UPDATE JUNE 19, 2024: Nigo walks the Kenzo Paris Fashion Week show in his upcoming Nike Air Force III Low.
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UPDATE November 9, 2023: Nigo was spotted in a pair of what appears to be Nike Air Force III Escape Lows tonight at his NIGO x JOOPITER’s ‘From Me to You’ exhibition in New York City. Image via Steven Victor
World-renown Japanese fashion designer, Nigö, and Nike are set to collaborate on an upcoming silhouette.
Nigö, whose real name is Tomoaki Nagao, is the founder of A Bathing Ape and Human Made, which were created in 1993 and 2010. He had a longstanding partnership with Adidas, and previously worked with Billionaire Boys Club and their affiliate, Ice Cream. He is currently the artistic director for Kenzo, a French fashion company.
In 2013, Nigö departed from A Bathing Ape after spending 20 years building the company. During those years, he released several sneakers under A Bathing Ape, many of which resemble iconic Nike silhouettes.
In January, Nike filed a sneaker trademark lawsuit against A Bathing Ape. Bape has been selling their Bapestas, Bape Sk8 Stas, and Court Stas sneakers for decades, mimicking Nike’s Air Force 1, Dunk, and Air Jordan 1.
Nigö’s first silhouette with Nike could come as early as 2024.