With Neymar hitting the ground at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics wearing the NJR x JORDAN Hypervenom, we caught up with the lead designer of the collection, Nathan VanHook, to discuss the Jumpman collaboration.
When was the idea of a Neymar and Jordan collaboration first discussed?
"This project started in late 2014. When I came to Nike Football, Max Blau, our VP, and myself went to Barcelona to meet the amazing players there including Neymar and we talked about the idea of doing something special for Neymar for this summer of football. We realised that he was wearing all of these Jordan hats and we found ourselves talking about the idea of teaming him up with the Jordan brand and his love for Michael Jordan. That's what got the project rolling. We pitched it to the Jordan brand, Michael Jordan and Neymar and they were all really excited."
Talk to us about Neymar's involvement in the project.
"When we were in Barcelona for the launch of the Hypervenom II we had these off-the-radar meetings with Neymar. That's when we showed him more samples and he offered some great input such as putting the number 23 on one shoe and his Brazilian number 10 on the other. It was amazing to see his respect for the Jordan brand and what that meant to him to have Jordan's iconic 23 on his boot."
It's a unique collaboration and the kind of which we haven't seen before in football. What makes it exciting for you?
"I think it's an exciting moment for Nike Football and Nike as a whole. We have such a rich history with Michael Jordan as one of the greatest athletes of all time and through this we're pairing the idea of Michael Jordan and how he changed the landscape of the game with how Neymar is doing the same and personifying a new type of football."
What are you favourite elements of the boot?
"The great thing about the boot is the detailing. For example, with the Nike ACC Skin we put this really matte finish on it to link up with the original Jordan V. Even the details you can see when Neymar ties his laces; it has the initials of his son on there and a tiny Brazilian flag on the end of the laces. Even the iconic 23 and 10 are done in their respective players uniform numbers. Even the box is kitted out perfectly."
Is this a new way of thinking when it comes to collaborative projects?
"We always pride ourselves on innovation in performance first and foremost, but we also pride ourselves on really taking athletes to a new space. I think, with the amount of love that players have for their boots these days and how important their boots are to them, it's great to be able to give players such as Neymar something new and something different that's never been seen before on pitch."
How has the landscape of football boots changed during your time at Nike Football so far?
"We've been creating amazing football boots for a long time now and I think in 1998 when the Mercurial came out, that really changed the landscape of football boots forever. When you look at this year with the new Mercurial and Magista and projects like "What the Mercurial", football boots are on another level now and it's great to see people's love for the product."
What does it mean to you to be involved in a Jordan project?
"As a kid growing up in the '80's and early '90's, Michael Jordan was the greatest. I've always been such a fan of his and now to be working at Nike and to be able to work on such an iconic project that the greatest designer of all time - Tinker Hatfield - worked on before, it's great to be able to re-vision this for another amazing athlete."
Did you speak to the Jordan team when conceptualising the shoe?
"When we initially came up with the idea we showed it to some close friends we have in the Jordan Special Projects team and they were really intrigued by it to and it actually got the final sign off from MJ. It was amazing to see his love for the reinterpretation of the iconic silhouettes style."
What excites you most about the future of Nike Football?
"I think the fact that we have such an amazing team, guys like Phil Woodman and Jeongwoo Lee. We work hard to create these jaw dropping moments with super innovative product and also work on the idea of taking boot culture to another level. Everything we do starts with innovation and the team we have are brilliant and relentless at what we do."
