In yet another collaboration with prominent street artists, Nike has released the apparel for the Running Man project. The three artists - Todd James (AKA Reas), Parra, and Misha (of Perks and Mini) each helped to create tees and jackets to coordinate with some upcoming sneakers, much like the Clerks Pack released a few years ago. It’s always interesting to see how independent artists puts their own stamp on a giant company like Nike, and these collaborations are no exception.

First up is this jacket from Reas, who you may recognize from his work with folks like Stussy, Alife, or Crank Yankers. Dude is seriously everywhere, you just don’t know it. Anyway, this is actually a fairly clean design for Reas, considering much of his work consists of glorified doodles. I really mean that in the nicest way possible, as that style is ideal for his subject matter which tends to explore immaturity and the fantasies of youth. The lightning bolt homie also appears on a tee shirt in a few colors and will coincide with an upcoming pair of Cortez (Cortezes? Cortezi?).

Next up is the contribution from Misha of Perks and Mini. Full disclosure here - I’m not really that familiar with the individual work of Misha, but I can say for certain that P.A.M. are one of the most terminally underrated clothing companies operating today. They combine interesting graphics outside of the typical references with an incredible cut ‘n sew line that way too many people are sleeping on. Like I was saying though, the graphics on this jacket definitely operate outside of the streetwear norm yet the olive green and gold stitching keeps it from venturing so far away that it becomes something you’d expect to see in Spencer’s Gifts.

The same graphic is present on this tee. It might be a little…young…to some, but I tend to think of it as negotiating the tightrope of youthful and childish rather well. Would you prefer some skulls? Or guns? Or wait, a skull with crossed guns? Yeah, that’s hard. That’s grown. Where’s THAT shirt? The colorway on this tee gives you an idea of what to expect outta the Air Max 90 done in conjunction with Misha as well.

Last, but in my eyes very much first, Dutch artist Parra places his trademark style all over this windbreaker. This dude has worked with so many people it would make your head spin, but honestly, that doesn’t matter. His eye as both illustrator and graphic designer is so strong and unique that it stands on it’s own regardless of the “branding” associated with the name Parra. I think my only complaint is that his typographic work doesn’t come into play here.

Just look at the color on this tee! And those creepy human hands! Intended or not, I feel like a lot of his work with animal imagery brings up interesting ideas about the relationship between man and beast. You don’t need to take it there, as the surface impact is plenty engaging, but I love that there seems to be something under the surface for those that are interested. These will be coming with an Air Max 95 that complements the colors seen here.

Too much color? Roll with the classic black on white then. Social Study has everything pictured here available now, but act fast as this gear has been flying off shelves everywhere! They will also be receiving the matching sneakers in about a week, so expect a post about those soon as well.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 26th, 2008 at 11:05 pm and is filed under Jackets, Clothing, collaborations, Art. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.