Nike Celebrates Chinese New Year With Vibrant "Year of the Rat" Collection
Jam-packed with history and references from the past half-century.
Nike and Jordan Brand are celebrating a new year in the Chinese Zodiac Calendar by dropping the “Year of the Rat” collection, consisting of eleven commemorative silhouettes and spanning a selection of running and lifestyle shoes. The release coincides with the year of the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing, China as well as certain key moments with Nike’s own extensive history.
The capsule collection consists of men’s, women’s, kids and unisex releases, and draws inspiration from colors and embellishments found on previous CNY packs, as well as traditional Yuxian paper-cutting. For the release, Nike takes on the Air Max 1, Air Force 1, Air Max 720 and the Kyrie 6 for men, the Air Force 1 Shadow, Joyride Run 2 and Air Max 270 React for women, and a unisex Air Max 90. A selection will also be available in kids sizes. Jordan Brand also add the Air Jordan 13 and Air Jordan 34 to the offering.
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The collection toys with four Yuxian patterns, each of which harks towards a select moment in the Swoosh’s historical timeline in a playful and graphic manner. In chronological order, the first pattern pays ode to the year 1972, the year Nike and the Nike Cortez was founded, the second towards the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, the third of the Air More Uptempo‘s release in 1996, and of course, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as well as the year of the drop of the Nike Hyperdunk.
Alongside this extensive sneaker collection, Nike and Jordan Brand will be releasing a complementary range of apparel. While certain silhouettes are already available, the whole collection of footwear and apparel is expected to drop online on Nike this coming month.
