swoosh fly
Nike’s first collection designed specifically for female basketball players
It all started as a passion project
Nike had never cared about the women’s basketball business because it didn’t make any money.
But my team saw the potential that it could have. No one believed us, so we went and did focus groups with female basketball players in LA, who told us our apparel was terrible & theres a need for this in the market for female basketball players all over the US.
Big take aways from these focus groups:
-Fit: Nothing fits their bodies
-Assortment: Nothing is cool or colorful enough to wear and make them feel confident
-Empowerment: They want to know more about the lives of professional female basketball players & how to get there themselves
-Authenticity: They want to wear authentic basketball product thats not mens
“I want to be as confident as a man, but I don’t want to look like him.”
“I always need to stand out; Hoop Swag ya know? I can empower myself with what I wear.”
“When I don’t look good, it’s gunna mess with my game.”
“When I go to a Nike store and pick up your womens basketball shorts on the hanger, I immediately put it back because I know it wont fit me. Then I go to the mens section because at least they have better colors & graphics .”
So we listened
We pitched the idea of a basketball collection designed for her.
Within the first season we grew the business 990%
& these are our stories
Spring ‘22
“Haters are a good problem to have. Nobody hates the good ones. They hate the great ones.”
-Kobe
Still in the midst of launching, this collection was designed at the beginning of covid, but also right after the passing of Kobe. We wanted to tell the story of how important he was to the womens game of basketball through the lens of the black mamba. More importantly through the opposing forces of the individual vs team in spirit, and staying optimistic through the dark times.
Fall ‘21
Illuminating Icons
This season was all about highlighting the legends of womens basketball. Most of the WNBA teams have celestial names, so we created a vision and a story around the legacy and dynasty that these great players have created. To become a legend you pave a way for the future to leave your name in the stars. With gold accents and durasheen fabrics this collection came to life.
“Dont be a Lady, Be a Legend”
Holiday ‘21
“You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, But still like air Ill rise” -Maya Angelou
This season was all about the Phoenix. Every athlete goes through tough times, whether its mentally or physically. So we wanted to convey that this season. Dig deep to find your inner energy, to overcome obstacles. Rise from the ashes to achieve greatness. Inspired by the ashes and the heat of the flames through color, Holiday was about rebirth. I also wanted to design a fuzzy fleece for her, a new style, that she could layer in with the other product. It tells this seasons story and is still super wearable. Along with bringing in a new trim detail for the crossover short that breathes new life into this franchise item.
summer ‘21
Queen of courts
This season was about the warriors journey. Joan of Ark was an inspiration for us, she is battle tested, a female warrior. So inspired by chain mail we created a jacquard simulating a chain link fence, similar to lace, mixed with shiny details but grounded within a feminine color palette.
“We fall. We break. We fail.
But then,
WE RISE.
WE HEAL.
WE OVERCOME.”
Holiday ‘20
Sisterhood
