Skateboarders from the US and Japan will wear Nike kits at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. Two months out from the Games’ kickoff, Nike SB has given a first look at this year’s federation kits.
Professional skater and architect Alexis Sablone, who competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics, was tapped by Nike to help design the kits. Each piece draws from classic workwear garments, the typical garb of skaters.
Athletes are given the option to choose what they feel most comfortable competing in. Both the Team USA and Team Japan kits offer a t-shirt, long-sleeve, hoodie and overalls.
For the US kit, a color palette of red, white and blue blended watercolor-style make up the base of the t-shirt. A thick collar features the year written in Roman numerals. A patch with an eagle is adorned on the chest and an eagle similarly appears on a color-blocked tank top. The overalls and other top options come in plain blue.
Japan’s kit adopts green and white color colorways. The overalls, hoodie and long-sleeve come in a dark green, while collared t-shirts arrive in a pale green and are adorned with a chameleon graphic. Another long-sleeve features a lime green ombre effect and a graphic of what looks to be a winding road.
While skaters aren’t mandated to wear any particular brand’s shoes, the kit is accompanied by a new edition of Sablone’s signature Converse CONS AS-1 Pro in white and purple, along with a white and green Nike SB Dunk Low that imitates the pebbled look of moss.
“It never crossed my mind that I’d get to design federation kits. Then again, there was a point when I didn’t even think skate would be an Olympic sport,” Sablone said. “When I got the call to design the kits, I had a gut instinct that told me, ‘Of course. I’m a designer and a skater, and I competed in the Olympics. Why not? Who gets a chance to do that?’”
“I knew I had to create enough of a range where there’s a style for everyone, whether that was something louder and more graphic-heavy or something more subtle and subdued but still with some character.”
The Nike SB 2024 kits and apparel collection will be sold at select skate shops beginning on July 18. The Converse CONS AS-1 Pro and Nike SB Dunk Low will be sold in a twin pack of both silhouettes starting on August 22 before rolling out as individual models on August 29 through SNKRS, the Converse website and in skate shops.