From the association with Nike to the joint promotion of sneaker culture, and the first opportunity to cooperate with sneakers
Jiming:My first contact with Nike was because of the 25th anniversary of Air Force 1 in 2006, with the “Tibetan Mastiff” as the theme to launch a special note for the Year of the Dog. I was running a second store at the time, and Nike started bringing people in the sneaker culture to the event, bringing together a lot of people who love Air Force 1 and giving this group the opportunity to tell everyone their unique story. I also started to get in touch with some of Nike’s friends, and everyone started to get to know each other and become friends, and gradually they would discuss whether there is any possibility in the future.
I think Nike has always been the biggest promoter of sneaker culture. Over the years, many major events in sneaker culture are inseparable from Nike, and maybe 80% to 90% of classic shoes are Nike or Nike and brands and stores. Created by different units such as , artists, etc. I think this role is very important. For example, the appearance of Dunk SB has inspired many young people. It tells us that sneakers can not only be worn, but also become a work of art, and can also present a small, unknown story with different communities, and more Showing representative people in skateboarding, street art, and hip-hop music to everyone through sneakers… These positive actions to inspire, create, support, and strengthen the development of the community all contribute to the development of sneaker culture.
Wu Yue:
Because of my love for sneakers, I met friends from Nike in Paris, and then worked for Nike as a Freelancer, from marketing to Campaign to product. In the process, I also became more and more aware of what it was like to work with Nike.
In 2012, Ji Ming and I met and got to know each other through an introduction from a mutual friend, Rocky. After that, he told me that he wanted to run a shop called SOULGOODS, and asked me if I would like to design a logo for it, because I was already very good friends with him at that time, and I also liked the name very much, so I decided to design a logo for it. Helped to design the logo and started to work together.
Jiming:SOULGOODS was officially launched in 2016. We used our accumulated experience, failures and successes to create such a store and brand. We know how to plan a store, how to decorate, how to find people who help us design, Knowing more about production, development and design, SOULGOODS has become more mature and professional. Step by step, we became a Nike dealer, working with the Nike team, and now we’re a Nike partner store.
We have two roles. In addition to being a distributor, we also work with Nike to build a closer relationship with sneaker culture or various cultural communities. We hope to create more opportunities in terms of culture. to the younger generation. In addition, we have cooperation with Nike every year such as “Shoe Ring Resonance”. We use the methods or behaviors that are more acceptable to young people today to convey the content and stories of sneaker culture to them, such as classic moments in history and classic styles. , background and so on, these are all things that we are working on together. For me, the previous generation influences the next generation, so that more people can understand the charm of sneaker culture. This is how sneaker culture is passed on.
Now is the time, and we have the opportunity to collaborate on a joint sneaker.
Through this cooperation, Nike unearthed a growth story and attitude more belonging to the current Chinese young people in Ji Ming and Wu Yue, and finally condensed into a portrait of three generations of Nike x SOULGOODS Dunk High young people. This experience and love, More or less resonated with you and me.
The Nike Dunk High x SOULGOODS series will be released in November, of which “80’s” will be sold through SNKRS China App and SOULGOODS stores; “90’s” will be sold through global SNKRS App and SOULGOODS stores; “00’s” will be sold exclusively through SOULGOODS stores, For more details, please follow the official platform of the brand.
NIKE and SOULGOODS collaborate for the first time, Ji Ming and Wu Yue interpret the details and the story behind the shoes