In spring 2015 Nike Sportswear and Liberty London released a summer collection built on Merlin, a geometric print Liberty first made for a silk scarf in 1972. It covered the Air Rift, Air Max 90 Ultra, Zenji, Tennis Classic Ultra, Air Max Thea, and Cortez, plus a Windrunner, tees, and a cap. Liberty sold it first, on April 23; Nike Sportswear retailers followed on May 4 and May 15. We made it internally, Nike Brand Design EMEA with Nike Sportswear, and Nike Brand Design briefed and creative directed the outside agencies.
Why it looks like this
An archive scarf. Hypebeast reported that the 1972 shawl design “was chosen for its unusual design.” Sneaker Freaker described how Nike applied the print to clean white leather with slabs of black, scattering bright circles and squares across each shoe.
Press and sources
- Hypebeast: Liberty x Nike 2015 Summer “Merlin” Collection
- Sneaker Freaker: Liberty Of London X Nike Summer 2015 Collection