Sneaker brands have continued to double-down on partnerships with non-athletes, until recently a fairly uncommon endeavor. Considering the early success of Rihanna’s deal with Puma and adidas’ cultural dominance in the hands of Kanye West, it’s no surprise that Nike has decided to add another artist to their roster. That said, Skepta is definitely a surprise choice after the populist choice of Kevin Hart.
English grime rapper Skepta revealed his own personal pair of Nike runners via Instagram today. His silhouette of choice (or perhaps Nike’s choice) is the Air Max BW. The BW stands for “Big Window,” to describe the shoe’s chunkier air unit compared to other Air Max sneakers. The all-black colorway is 100% Skepta, fitting perfectly with his aesthetic. The sneaker’s nickname also draws on the rapper for inspiration, as it’s called the Blacklisted BW in reference to his 2012 mixtape of the same name.
In one post, the UK emcee describes going to Nike’s Oregon headquarters in early 2015 to meet with a senior designer. “Today I’m happy to present the Blacklisted Air Max BW, thank you to @NJobe for seeing the vision and making my dream come to life.”
Stay tuned for release information on the Blacklisted Air Max BW, which should be dropping in the next few months.