How Concepts Continues To Distinguish Itself Among Nike Collaborators
Creative director Deon Point talks breaking through the overcrowded collab landscape.
As high-profile collaborations become the new norm in footwear, the constant rollout of “a brand x another brand” leaves the discerning sneaker community overwhelmed with partnerships that sometimes lack a real purpose. Thoughtful products and experiential moments separate Concepts from the rest, as the retailer boasts covetable cobranded models with ASICS, Birkenstock and New Balance in their arsenal.
With the recent release of the Concepts x Nike Air Max 1 “Message to the Universe” pack, Hypebae spoke to creative director Deon Point on Concepts’ approach to collaborations and what we can expect from its future drops.
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The trio of Nike Air Max 1 releases are inspired by festival fashion and youth expression. Can you speak about why the design team chose to take that direction?
When you think about Air Max, you think about revolution. The design, making the Air visible, changed the way we all looked at performance technology. And the initial advertisement spelled it out. So, we had this history, born in the ’80s, as a starting point. But for us, it is important to stretch the imagination. Phil Knight started putting the pieces of Nike together in the ’60s, the company and the Swoosh emerged in the ’70s, Air Max hit in the ’80s, and then we came up in the ’90s. The trajectory of that — [it's] about building the pieces of youth culture and sharing a story about the connected spirit of those who have challenged the status quo, and how through community, it created significant cultural change. The ’60s really provided a building block for youth culture as we know it, and it was fun to dig into the clothes, music and the overall vibe to bring our vision to life.
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Concepts has an impressive roster of sneaker collaborations. With the current landscape overrun with co-branded models, how does Concepts continue to deliver unique offerings and break through the noise? Is there a through line to these partnerships or a brand ethos at play?
For me, the through line is storytelling. Since our founding in 1996, Concepts has prided itself on product storytelling. We want to create lasting emotional connections between our consumers and the brands we work with and carry. Ultimately, when we’re passionate about something, you’ll feel it. And so when we have the opportunity to collaborate, we’re given a chance to express our passion to the fullest.
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Are there any upcoming partnerships or releases that fans can expect?
We celebrated our 25th anniversary in 2021. This year, the energy continues to build. You can expect us to continue to create with our long-term partners, as well as a continued expansion of our Concepts brand output. What you’ve seen so far with that is only the beginning.
