Once a pillar of Nike’s footwear and apparel lines, the All Conditions Gear imprint has been, to a degree, forgotten in recent years, absorbed into Nike Sportswear and used more as an obligatory occasional label, rather than a showcase for cutting edge technologies that merge athletic chic with go-anywhere functionality. That ends this month.
Beginning December 18, NikeLab is reimagining and reinterpreting the classic, even iconic label with a new purpose: meeting the demands of mobility and weather-protection in an urban setting.
For the new NikeLab ACG collection, the brand partnered with acclaimed Berlin-based designer Errolsen Hugh, whose Acronym design agency is an expert in the field of unifying style and technology in apparel. Hugh then tapped into Nike’s rich array of available technologies, such as Tech Fleece, Dri-FIT Wool and Flyknit, and came at ACG from an entirely new angle. The results are stunning, the perfect marriage of fashion, function, and a style unique to the urban landscape.
In working on the collection, Hugh and the Nike design team conceived of what they call the “all conditions fit,” minimizing limitations and restriction by building and designing pieces around mental and physical readiness. Rather than designing for the typical straight, upright posture, they created all apparel with a unique chassis intended for a person in the athletic, crouched “ready” stance. This ensures that all apparel is imminently functional and flexible, prepared for any and every range of motion. As Hugh puts it, “Readiness is physically encoded into the silhouette of the collection. We call it the all conditions fit because it suggests the ability to transition to any movement and to any situation.”
Even little details like stitches and placement of pockets were considered in the “all conditions fit,” with pockets that would hold bulky items like phones, laptops and notebooks hidden and kept close to the body for secure stowing, while promising to never obscure the smooth, clean lines of the apparel.
Further, each piece is rendered in a dark palette with reflective logos, transitioning between understated and visible as needed, while retaining a dark, utilitarian appeal. The idea of layering was kept front-of-mind as well, so that each item can be bulked up or slimmed down as it moves through different climates, times, places, all without impeding movement and flexibility.
The resulting NikeLab ACG collection is remarkable in its subtlety; its innately rugged feel, yet modern, architectural aesthetics. Launching December 18, the new collection will kickoff with the NikeLab ACG 2-in-1 Jacket, Tech Fleece Pant, Flyknit Trainer Chukka FSB, Funnel Neck top, Pocket Tee and Responder backpack.
Each will be available on Nike.com/NikeLab in North America, Western Europe and Japan, and will also launch at the following NikeLab locations worldwide: 21 Mercer NYC, Dover Street Market NYC, Niketown New York, 1948 London, Dover Street Market London, P75 Paris, LNZ1 Milan, and Dover Street Market Ginza in Tokyo.