In 2019, Nike and Serena Williams partnered to create the Serena Williams Design Crew (SWDC), an apprenticeship program to promote diversity in design. It brought together 10 talented designers from New York City, each specializing in their own discipline, and tasked them with creating a Serena-inspired women’s performance and lifestyle collection spanning footwear, apparel and accessories — which they’re now ready to launch.
For the first six months of 2020, the first 10 apprentices in the SWDC worked on the collection that would later be comprised of bodysuits, tops, shorts, leggings and a range of footwear. The ensemble allowed the designers to flex their design skills in a way that showcased their subject’s intense career. The result is a series that weaves in personal elements like Williams’ 23 Grand Slam titles, metallic gold accents for her gold medal wins, her daughter’s initials, West African Kente inspired prints, and her personal signature.
As for the footwear, the group chose to elevate two iterations of the Court Legacy along with two colorways of the RYZ 365 2 and an Air Max Koko. The Court Legacy comes in an navy and red color scheme with Kente cloth motifs, as well as in black leather. The RYZ 365 2 feature the same color schemes as the Court Legacy, while the Air Max Koko comes with a thick black platform that gives a foundation for the cream experimental silhouette. The SWDC’s “10 4 01” logo is found throughout the collection as a celebration of “inclusivity, diversity, and the bond between individual and team.”
While the product is the culmination of a six-month design curriculum at Nike, the vision proposed by SWDC — that diversity fosters creativity and inclusion goes hand in hand with innovation — is just beginning. A second year of the program, this time with 11 Chicago-area apprentices, is currently underway.
Learn more about the SWDC here. The entire Serena Williams Design Crew x Nike collection will be available September 1st via the Nike website and retail stores.
—
Photo Credit: Leonard Zhukovsky / Shutterstock.com