What with the massive and terrible Earthquake devasting vast swathes of China, it seemed to some bright sparks like the right time for an exhibition of the new pre-Olympic Nike gear in the 798 Art District in Beijing. Eri and I visited the gallery when we were in Beijing earlier in the year and managed to have a wander round the (then) building site of the gallery before any of the migrant workers toiling there for less money-a-week-than-a-pair-of-the-shoes-on-display could be bothered to get us out. Of the new pieces on display, I like the Air Max 90 / Air Free mashup. It’s nicer than the previous Wildwood versions that have appeared before and also preserves the Air Max bubble in the rear. I may have to pick a pair up when they are released. I also like the Octogon Dunks as a concept, but probably wouldn’t wear them. Click for more pictures:
Also, in a stunning effort to create the most self-serving and pointless way to help the victims of the Chinese Earthquake, Japanese “style guru”, Hiroshi Fujiwara, has announced a collaborative effort with Nike; The Fragment Design x Nike Sichuan Panda Court Traditions (unbelievably, that is the actual name – homeless Pandas’re more important than people then, Hiroshi?). They will (to allow the tiniest modicum of humanity to be assigned to Fujiwara) be auctioned off to raise money for the victims, but considering how long it will take to make the shoes and how (comparatively) little money they will raise, this seems like the astonishingly offensive attempt to gain publicity through the deaths of 10,000 people who would never be able to afford anything from Fragment Design at the best of times. Poor, poor show Mr Fujiwara.
