Nike continues to find a way to toe the line between performance and fashion apparel and the newest Tech Pack is just the latest example of streetwear and performance wear becoming one and the same at the Swoosh.
Versatility has always been the focus of Nike’s Tech Pack line, and that is especially true for the new collection—mixing synthetic and natural materials to offer a lineup of transitional products that look at home both on the street and at the gym.
Nike’s design philosophy for the collection rests on a confluence of modern and traditional performance needs, with the company noting specifically that it wanted to improve classic performance silhouettes—like the fleece hoodie, which has been updated with Nike’s Tech Fleece to better resist moisture from both the inside and out—by rethinking the way that people use performance apparel in a world overrun with athleisure apparel.
“We have a powerful vision for Nike apparel: to lead with innovation that makes athletes better, pushing the edges of both performance and style,” Kurt Parker, Nike’s VP of apparel design said. “Through new manufacturing technologies and new materials, we are driving a bold future where everything is designed with movement in mind.”
The apparel giant said it used “years of body motion and mapping analysis” gathered from the world’s top athletes at the Nike Sport Research Lab in Oregon to help designers find the right combination of materials and form for the transitional collection. It calls the latest update a “more versatile package” that can withstand a wider range of activity and weather.
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The collection includes jackets and sweatpants that combine traditional woven materials with features like side zippers that can be opened up in warmer weather. Each piece is designed to be layered with other items in the collection, especially the Flyknit Indy sports bra, made with the same knitted technology that brought the world Flyknit sneakers.
Nike says it also designed a new performance waffle knit polyester material and introduced it in the collection, often combining its high-efficiency qualities with woven performance materials that consumers are more familiar with. The combination can be found in a woven top that is lined with zippers in “unique spots” and a woven women’s jacket that can be reversed to show either a metallic or tonal outer shell.
Other transitional standouts include a Windrunner jacket with a removable hoodie that can be zipped into the collar and a men’s weatherproof jacket with a removable outer shell that can also be removed and stored in a front pocket.
The capsule will be available in January as a part of Nike’s Spring 2019 offering and will have a limited release beginning Dec. 20.