In Chicago design is everywhere. Until 28 July at 673 Michigan Avenue it is possible to visit the NikeLab Chicago Re-Creation Center, a temporary “cultural hub.”
The project includes volunteer initiatives and in-depth programs created in collaboration with Virgil Abloh, fashion designer and CEO of Off-White.
Besides displaying the sports products of the famous US brand, the space has been created for workshops conducted by professionals in photography, design and fashion, such as Chuck Anderson, Paul Octavious, Alyx Harch, Thomas Kelley, Carrie Norman, Ann Lui and Craig Reschke, addressing themes like brand identity, production of materials and graphics, and photography (register for the workshops on SNKRS, the Nike app for smartphones and tablets).
The space also puts a spotlight on Reuse-a-Shoe, which transforms worn-out running shoes into Nike Grind. This is a priority initiative for Nike, which for 25 years has been working on the use of recycled materials to create clothing, sports gear and even basketball courts.
The most famous one is right here in Chicago, designed by community youth coordinated by Abloh (also a native of the area), and slated to pen before the NBA All-Star Game in 2020.
These are not the only events that will put the spotlight on Chicago, Nike and Virgil Abloh in the month of June. The city will host NeoCon, the design fair, from 10 to 12 June; the American giant has made the materials of the Grid collection, four jerseys for national participants in the World Cup of women’s soccer; and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago presents Virgil Abloh: Figures of Speech, the first exhibition on the designer’s work, open from 10 June to 22 September 2019.
