September 24, 2024

Nike: Form Follows Motion

 

 

Now on view at the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany is Nike: Form Follows Motion, the first ever comprehensive museum exhibition about Nike. The show explores the company’s five-decade ascent from a grassroots start-up to a global phenomenon, with a focus on Nike’s design history: from the company’s beginnings in the 1960s and the design of its famous swoosh logo; to iconic products such as Air Max and Flyknit; and current research devoted to future materials and sustainability. The exhibition highlights how sport is a catalyst for both design innovation and social change, and also sheds light on the almost mythical devotion to sneakers and sportswear in popular culture.

Named after the Greek goddess of victory, Nike has become more than just a brand. It is a whole design culture. Products have been developed with a blend of scientific study, sports research, and aesthetic sensibility — from material engineering to biology to body mechanics. Athletes have played a uniquely influential role by bringing their own experiences and requirements into product development. Nike: Form Follows Motion offers a look behind the scenes of this design laboratory for the first time. Read More

 

August 26, 2018

The 12 Most Memorable Moments in Tennis Style

 

SERENA WILLIAMS VIRGIL ABLOH X NIKE

From Roger Federer leaving Nike for a $300 million contract with Uniqlo, to the Palace Skateboard mash-up with Adidas at Wimbledon, to Virgil Abloh’s collaboration with Serena Williams for Nike on her upcoming US Open return… it has been a very fashionable summer for tennis! The tennis courts have become the hot spot for fashion x sport collections and the players the perfect models to show it off in action.

Tennis has always been one of the most fashionable sports. Going back to the 1920’s, Susan Lenglen brought flapper style to the courts. Then there was Gussie Moran in the 1950’s scandelously flaunting white lace knickers at Wimbledon. Designer Ted Tingling was responsible for that fashion moment and made his mark on the game again in the 1970’s as the official designer of the Virginia Slims Womens tour. Later of course, there were players like Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, and Andre Agassi whose tennis looks for Fila, Tacchini and Nike made them tennis style icons.

With the US Open about to kick off in the fashion capital of NYC, we pay homage to the style of the game with a review of the all time greatest looks in tennis history…
 

1. SUZANNE LENGLEN 1926

1920’s tennis star Suzanne Lenglen was a 34-time major champion and in 1921 the world’s number 1 player. Her dazzling style of play was matched her style of dress on the courts. An International Tennis Hall of Fame member, her bio reads: “The Frenchwoman filled the stands with her flamboyant brilliance on court and her eccentric personality that blurred the lines between superstar athlete and diva.”

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April 28, 2017

The Old Ballgame

 
CLOCKWISE TOP LEFT: THE MOHAWK GIANTS CIRCA 1931; EBBETS FIELD FLANNELS HARTFORD CHIEFS 1949 JERSEY; EBBETS FIELD FLANNELS COLUMBUS JETS 1961 T-SHIRT; EBBETS FIELD FLANNELS HAVANA CUBANS CREWNECK 1961 SWEATSHIRT; EBBETS FIELD FLANNELS FOR J.CREW BISMARCK CHURCHILLS BALL CAPS; EBBETS FIELD FLANNELS FOR J.CREW TEES

 
Since 1988, Seattle-based Ebbets Field Flannels has made authentic reproductions of vintage baseball gear. Each limited edition jersey, ballcap, jacket, and sweater is handcrafted from 100% authentic and historical fabrics. With baseball season in full swing, J.Crew has just launched their own exclusive collaboration of t-shirts and ballcaps with Ebbets Field Flannels. 

Flipping through the encyclopedias of our nation’s pastime, the collection celebrates the history and legacy of such teams as the BROOKLYN BUSHWICKS, a top semipro team in the 1930s and ’40s with their own stadium in Dexter Park, Queens; the MOHAWK GIANTS, one of baseball’s great independent black teams, who played from 1913 to 1940 in Schenectady, New York; and the San Francisco based SURF RIDERS, whose players were in the Coast Guard.

The J.Crew Ebbets Field Flannel Collection of tees and baseball caps is now available in select stores and online. And… be sure to check out Ebbets Field Flannels entire collection of authentic vintage-inspired sports paraphernalia for summer.

 

June 19, 2015

Fashion-A-Bell: Carmen dell’Orefice

 
NORMAN PARKINSON & CARMEN DELL’OREFICE FROM BRITISH VOGUE JULY 1959
©CHRISTOPHER & GREGORY HARTLEY

 

Carmen dell’Orefice is one of the iconic models in fashion history, most famous in her older years for her unmistakable white coiffure. The fantastic image above is from British Vogue, July 1959, and shows her as a young model with renowned fashion photographer, Norman Parkinson. Loving the adventurous “Style of Sport” spirit of the image, we were curious about the story behind the picture.

While Parkinson was the photographer on the shoot in Bermuda, this image was actually taken by Bronson Hartley who ran a local helmet diving operation. Bell or Helmet Diving is a very old concept and the precursor to scuba diving. Using the same principle as a glass turned upside down underwater, water pressure keeps air trapped inside an open-bottomed metal helmet. Fresh air is then pumped in through an attached hose allowing divers to walk around the sea floor, with no training required.

Bronson was an esteemed marine biologist who had first come to Bermuda from New York City in 1930 with his family as a child to escape the Depression. At age ten he built his first diving helmet and continued to evolve his model. His hobby would later become his profession as he began taking adventurous tourists, and later celebrities like Charlton Heston, on the underwater adventure of a lifetime.

Continuing his zeal for invention, Bronson started making his own cameras and underwater housings. A pioneer in undersea photography, he made the first ever color 35mm underwater movie, “Mainstreet Undersea”, starring his wife, Martica, a model and actress. Hartley and the making of the film were featured in the December 15, 1952 issue of LIFE. For those who remember the show, Martica was a guest on “Whats My Line.” Read More

 

December 8, 2014

Eddie Would Go

 

Photograph By Dan Merkel

The holding period has begun for the 30th annual “Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau”, a one-day big wave invitational surfing event requiring waves of at least 20 feet — wave face height over 30 feet– in order to be contested. The event, which has only been held 8 times in its history, was founded in recognition of the great Hawaiian surfer Eddie Aikau.

During the 1970’s, Eddie Aikau was considered one of the best big wave riders in the world. He was the first official lifeguard at Waimea Bay on Oahu’s North Shore, and became recognized for pulling people out of waves that no one else would dare to. His life took on mythic proportions after his untimely death during the “Hokule’a” in 1978. During the 2500 mile traditional Hawaiian canoe voyage, retracing the ancient route of the Polynesian migration between the Hawaiian and Tahitian islands, the canoe developed a leak and capsized in stormy weather. Aikau set out on his surfboard, paddling towards Lanai in an attempt to get help. The crew was later rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard, but despite great search efforts, Eddie was never seen again.

The “Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau” event was established in 1984 and was won by his brother Clyde Aikau in its first year. The popular phrase “Eddie Would Go” originated during that first contest. The waves were huge and conditions extremely dangerous. While the contest organizers were discussing whether to put it on, competitor Mark Foo looked out and said “Eddie would go.” The phrase stuck and spread around the Hawaiian Islands and rest of the world.

I have always loved the image above by Dan Merkel, which has become one of the most iconic images of Eddie Aikau. The minimal blue and yellow tonalities highlight the purity and beauty of the sport and let the soul of this lengendary waterman shine.

 
 

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