Nike is seeking new approaches that may revolutionize the shoe industry in the nearest future. In partnership with NASA, the U.S. State Department, and USAID, the sportswear giant is announcing the fourth Launch Challenge, calling R&D textile manufacturers to submit their groundbreaking ideas on new sustainable materials and entrepreneurial practices. The LAUNCH System Challenge 2013 that runs from April 24 through July 15, will accept “early bird” submissions starting June 15.
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Converse has launched the European “Get Dirty” music series to give a stage to various indie music performers, including international artists and aspiring bands. The three-month tour, which kicked off in Paris on March 19, will make stops in London, Barcelona, Madrid, Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Vienna, Amsterdam, Antwerp and Milan. The project is inspired by the brand’s seasonal manifesto “Shoes Keep It Clean, Sneakers Get Dirty,” meaning that people who wear the legendary sneakers are not afraid of exploring new unpaved muddy roads. Converse has also released the “washed and faded” Chuck Taylor All Star Well Worn and 70s Chuck collections in line with the effort’s theme.
Running and working out in a gym are traditional ways to exercise, but sometimes life wants us to be more creative finding ways to burn calories. Nike launched its innovative Nike+ FuelBand over a year ago to help athletes from all around the globe to keep track of their daily physical performance. To celebrate the 1st anniversary of the device, Nike collaborated with a team of artists, coaches and other original thinkers to create a digital art NikeFuel Zine, celebrating “the breadth of physical activity.”
Nike has released a new film starring one of its most celebrated ambassadors, Kobe Bryant. The new video piece “Count on Kobe,” developed by Wieden + Kennedy of Portland, Ore., promotes the KOBE 8 SYSTEM, the lightest and lowest performance shoe of the baseball genius. In the spot, the female voice over explains how the world works and how Kobe works in it—very soon it becomes clear that he is also a world, a unique universe. “Some things in this world are certainties. The sun will rise. Rain will fall. And Kobe Bryant will dominate on the basketball court,” says the brand in the press release.
In partnership with TechStars, a startup accelerator providing seed funding from over 75 venture capital firms globally, Nike is launching a new bold project to encourage like-minded entrepreneurs to start their one businesses and leverage the success of popular Nike + products such as the Nike+ FuelBand and Nike+ Running.