Nike’s ISPA imprint is everything that was excellent about Errolson Hugh’s Nike ACG line. I don’t mean that as a diss to today’s Nike ACG, which has capably headed in a solid, gorp-y direction, but as a sudden realization I had while reviewing ISPA’s Fall 2023 collection.
If anyone still misses the high-function designs of Hugh’s Nike ACG, for instance, look no further than the simply-named Nike ISPA clothes, which include the seasonal “jacket” and “Pants 2.0.”
Don’t be fooled by the unvarnished naming scheme, though: these are truly technical clothes.
Nike ISPA’s Fall 2023 Jacket, for instance, is weather-resistant and loaded with details.
There’re enough pockets to render your bags obsolete, two-way zips and pull-tabs aplenty, and a clever mesh lining that pokes out between gaps that allow for cooling air-flow, even while the garment’s shielding the wearer from the elements.
Dropping on Nike’s website and select stores from September 20, the rest of Nike ISPA’s Fall 2023 collection includes zipper-laden vests and paneled pants fitted with self-belts, surprisingly deep pockets, and some impressive articulation.
It definitely feels like techwear for the masses, à la Errolson Hugh’s Nike ACG line.
Nike ISPA has long been cranking out killer shoes since it was founded back in 2018, but the line has never been a premiere Nike project.
That is to say, though ISPA isn’t necessarily a secret, its dramatic creations are so sci-fi that the wider Nike-buying public still needs to develop a taste for ’em.
Only design nerds and sneakerheads have really picked up on the appeal of ISPA’s wildly futuristic footwear, which ranges from shockingly forward-thinking runners to eco-conscious shoes made entirely of foam and sneakers free from glue.
The ACG comparison really isn’t anything new, you see, but ISPA does feel like a more purpose-driven evolution of the ethos that Hugh displayed during his tenure at Nike ACG.
Like, there’s even a Nike ISPA manifesto, because this isn’t even really…
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