Sam Kerr's Nike Player Edition Boot Is a Tribute to Hometown Pride
“It was important that the boot tell my story — how a kid from East Fremantle got this far by following her dreams.”
Chelsea FC striker Sam Kerr is making history on and off the pitch. Teaming up with Nike, she unveiled her first-ever Player Edition boot, a design that blends her Australian roots with her mission to inspire the next wave of women in football.
Nike is unveiling Kerr’s first Player Edition model of the Mercurial football boot, which is said to reflect the attacker’s determined attitude and celebrate her status as a world-class athlete. The Player Edition boot debuts alongside her first sportswear collection, designed to showcase her love for her hometown, Perth, and the intensity she shows on the pitch. The collaboration also represents both Nike and Kerr’s motivation to support and uplift the next generation of female footballers, “raising the standard of the game so all athletes know their names belong on boots,” as stated in the press release.
The Mercurial boot features a neutral, light-toned palette to mimic Australia’s sandy beaches, with accents of pink, teal and orange inspired by the ocean, sunsets and rocky landscapes that remind Kerr of her home. The upper is adorned with her mantra, “Consistent,” in a tattoo style alongside nods to her on-pitch position and hometown with “Forever Forward” and “Perth Swagger” inscribed. Amongst other subtle references, you’ll find hints to pivotal seasons in the athlete’s career, such as her 2017 Golden Boot and 2020 Chelsea FC campaign.
Alongside the Player Edition boot are the Nike Field General sneakers, oversized hoodie and performance top and short. These complement the Mercurial’s design with a similar Australia-inspired color palette and personal references featuring Kerr’s signature. Kerr shares, “Through the creation process it was always important that the boot tell my story: how a kid from East Fremantle got this far by following her dreams.”
The Player Edition of the Nike Mercurial Superfly and Kerr’s sportswear collection will be available in Australia from August 28 and globally from September 2 at the Nike website.
Scroll on to hear from Kerr herself on her first Player Edition boot and the process behind the collection.
What emotions did you experience first seeing these boots?
I saw it in different stages, but seeing the final product for the first time was honestly incredible. I was really proud of myself and excited. It’s still crazy to think I have my own Player Edition, it feels surreal!
What does “Be Who I Am, Be Who You Are” mean to you?
It’s something I’ve always lived by, being myself, being confident in who I am and then passing that inspiration or confidence on to other people. Nowadays we all go through things where we don’t feel as confident to be ourselves and confidence is something that I’ve always lived by. So, to me, it means trying to be who I am and give confidence to others to really feel comfortable in their own skin.
How did Nike and the design team balance performance functionality with storytelling and aesthetic in this signature edition?
Nike showed me their latest innovations and from there we dove into the inspiration for the boot and the design. It came from what was important to me, and we then moved it into a moodboard with all the colors. It was a cool process to see it all come together and I couldn’t have imagined how it would initially turn out but I love the end result.
As more female athletes receive signature collections, how do you see your own line and influence contributing to broader representation and empowerment in football product design?
I think any female athlete getting their own line or their own Player Edition is amazing. I love all the female lines, to be honest. And I think it just helps with the inspiration, visibility is everything in the women’s game, and I think that the more inspiration we have, the more it becomes the norm. You see it with Sabrina’s shoe in basketball now, everyone’s wearing it. So, hopefully in football we can get to that point where it just becomes the norm, and it can only be helpful for the women’s game.
When fans lace them up, what do you hope they feel?
Inspired. I mean, that’s what the boot design is all about. It’s showcasing where I’ve come from and what I’ve done to get to where I am. Hopefully, when people put it on, they look down and see a little bit of my journey, and get inspired by it, and see where football can take you.
For more athlete news, check out Naomi Osaka’s Ferragamo look.
