Nike SB is collaborating with Alexis Sablone, a rider for the Converse CONS team, to design skateboarding federation kits for Team USA (United States) and Japan, as well as a unique kit that represents everyone who skates.
The collection also includes two limited-edition skateboarding footwear models: a new version of Alexis’s signature Converse CONS AS-1 Pro and a Nike SB Dunk Low model.
The kits created by Alexis Sablone for the 2024 Olympic Games are the creative collision of style, influence, and the inclusivity of skateboarding, encouraging freedom of expression and the personality to lead both on and off the board.
“It never crossed my mind that I’d get to design federation kits. Then again, there was a time when I didn’t even think skateboarding would be an Olympic sport,” says Alexis. “When I got the call to design the kits, I had a gut instinct that told me, ‘Of course. I’m a designer and a skater, and I competed in the Olympics. Why not? Who gets a chance to do that?’”
Blending classic workwear pieces, the collections reimagine traditional sportswear with skateboarding ideas, allowing athletes to choose from a wide range of options and aesthetics to best represent their personal style.
Building on Alexis’s design insight and decades deeply rooted in skateboarding culture, the collections feature three key pieces tied to the larger story of sport and skateboarding: a bowling-inspired shirt, a Parisian-inspired jacket and relaxed-fit denim pants.
“I knew I had to create enough of a range where there’s a style for everyone, whether that was something louder and more graphic-heavy or something more subtle and subdued but still with some character,” says Alexis.
The architect, multidisciplinary creator, and former Olympic athlete designed distinct crests for the Team USA kit and for the one used by the Japanese team, combining each country’s skateboarding iconography, colors, and spirit with his postmodern style.
The USA emblem, for example, recalls the origins of skateboarding on the sunny streets of California and celebrates the free experimentation and improvisation that continue to shape this sport’s culture today. Alexis juxtaposes timeless American symbols – a rose, an eagle, red and white stripes – with playful characters that evoke the synergy between the impulsive energy of skateboarding and its jazz-like expressive flow.
“Sometimes when you begin a design, coming up with a narrative is helpful,” spune Alexis. “For example, I thought about skateboarding’s roots in the United States. What’s that story? The crest is a simple way through graphic elements to express pride in a place.”
Alexis also blends skateboarding and culture in another crest designed for athletes around the world. The design features a pair of chameleons connected by a wavy illustration of Earth, centered with four unique species of orchids – one of the most diverse and unpredictable plants on the planet.
A balance between boundless originality and colorful diversity, the crest represents the transcendence of skateboarding and the creative connectivity that links skateboarders around the world. Alexis chose the color-changing lizard, she says, “for the simple reason that skateboarders can look any way.”
She incorporated similar themes throughout the entire footwear collection, showcasing chameleons and their vibrant, unpredictable color patterns across both footwear models.
The Converse CONS AS-1 Pro and the iconic Nike SB Dunk Low are tied together by rugged, reptilian textures and color-shifting, wear-away leather, as well as chameleon camouflage linings. In a detail that sets it apart from the federation collection, the Swoosh on the Dunk Low is also shaped to resemble the characteristic curved tongue of a chameleon.
When is the Nike SB x Converse Team USA apparel and footwear collection releasing?
The Nike SB kits and apparel collection for Team USA’s participation at the 2024 Olympic Games will be available on July 18, 2024 at select skate shops. The Converse CONS AS-1 Pro and Nike SB Dunk Low sneakers will be sold in an exclusive double pack that includes both silhouettes on August 22, 2024. Both pairs will also release individually on August 29 via SNKRS, on the Converse website and at select skate shops.
For now Nike has not shared any details about Japan’s kit, and is expected to publish more information about the Japanese Skateboarding Federation kit in the coming months.
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Vlad Ciutacu is a writer based in The Hague, Netherlands. He has been working in the footwear industry for more than a decade, with hundreds of pairs in his collection. His favourite models are the Air Jordan 1 and the Nike SB Dunk Low Pro. Find him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
