Nike Lab c/o Virgil Abloh
Retail turned youth community experience epicenter in Chicago.
The Experience
Hailed by Fast Company as the future of retail, my team led the strategy and execution of a new concept in collaboration with Virgil Abloh called the Nike Lab Re-Creation Center. Part experiential playground and part ode to sustainability, it is designed to empower the local creative youth and imprint their legacy on the city and the world. As well as a “best of Nike” assortment, the community was invited to donate worn-out sneakers to the center. Donations exceeded 11,500 pairs of footwear that were then ground into materials and used to build a new basketball court gifted to a boys and girls club of Chicago during the NBA All-Star 2020 weekend.
To inspire the next generation of Chicago creatives, the Re-Creation center provided hands-on workshop experiences for the community. 10 local artists from diverse backgrounds and skill sets engaged in a 6-week crash course of various design disciplines.
Virgil handpicked mentor leaders in design and culture to lead weekly masterclass sessions: architecture and design firm Norman Kelley, photographer Paul Octavious, visual artist Alyx Harch, graphic designer Chuck Anderson, and architects Craig Reschke and Ann Lui of Future Firm.
The 6-week program culminated with a showcase of the incubator’s artistic work, exhibiting projects inspired by their time and experience in the rigorous program.
Responsibilities
Concept, Experience Design, Spatial Design, Experience Design UX/UI, R&D / Prototyping, Software Development, Industrial Design, Hardware Engineering, Technical Install, Content, Animation
Awards
FastCo’s Best Retail Design of 2020
“My main message to Chicago youth is there’s a way out of the hood through Design. It’s not just become a sports star or look to the streets for success. It can come thru design and I want to lead that by example - Epicenter’d out of this project”.
