Winds of change

A Nike classic will see a creative break in form for the year 2020.

IT'S not often that you can say you have interviewed a vampire! But thanks to Nike, this was made possible. The sportswear and equipment maker selected four designers in Malaysia to come up with their versions of iconic Nike apparel.

So what does that have to do with vampires, you may ask. And are we pulling your leg?
Lestat and his version of the Windrunner 2020. ‘I employ a conceptual engine as the main graphic and there are colourful lines all over the piece.'

Well, one of the designers goes by the name of Lestat professionally. The 25-year-old Indonesian took the name after being inspired by Anne Rice and Lestat, one of the protagonists in her Vampire Chronicles.

But back to the project – the garment in question is called the Nike Windrunner. Geoff Hollister created it in 1978. He succeeded the Nike legend Steve Prefontaine as Nike's apparel designer and athlete liaison. Hollister's goal was to design apparel to protect against the windy and soggy weather of the winter athletic training season. He was inspired by images of the woven cedar-bark capes that Native Americans wore during the Pacific Northwest winters.
The end result was a nylon jacket with the material split on a horizontal plane on the wearer's shoulders. The two sides meet in a distinctive 26-degree point on the chest. Since then, there have been updates of this jacket that Hollister called the Cape Suit in reference to the superhero look it gives wearers.

Khoon Hooi, on his Windrunner 2020: ‘I have come up with batwing sleeves to denote the freedom of flight.'

So Lestat, Khoon Hooi, Syaiful Baharim and Tuck Loong were given only two guidelines. Retain the distinctive 26-degree point and design it for the year 2020. Designers from Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines were given the same task.

"The Nike Windrunner 2020 project is a gathering of creative visions of the future through the lens of a timeless apparel piece. Nike was looking for diversity in the various interpretations of the Windrunner and wanted the designers to bring their own individual style and vision to their creations. This is why Nike chose designers from different backgrounds, so that each design would be distinctive and unique," says Nike Sales (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd country marketing manager Raymond Liew.

None of the designers had ever designed a track top or windbreaker before. Khoon Hooi says that even though a design brief was given, the creativity was still his.

"I see maybe more freedom in the future so I have come up with batwing sleeves to denote the freedom of flight. And with global warming it will probably be hotter so I have given it a wider neckline that is pleated to make it more airy. And there is more freedom to match with an inner top," explains the much acclaimed celebrity designer, who is noted for his women's wear.

It's all about practicality, comfort and understatement so there are two front pockets and a front zipper opening. Using burnt orange for the upper portion, Khoon Hooi has balanced that with a nude colour for the lower bit.

Syaiful Baharim has the distinction of being the first Malaysian winner of the Mercedes-Benz Asia Fashion Award in 2006 and is touted as one of the big designers of the future. Till then we have his take on "futuristic" sportswear that is inspired by another timeless apparel, the kebaya.
"I see my design as wearable art. I came out with some designs, one infused with songket and another with batik. I decided the design with elements of kerawang embroidery. I kept to the hour-glass silhouette resembling the kebaya," says Syaiful.

As to the colour, he decided to use white to denote purity. Syaiful has also injected very modern elements with distinctive and edgy style lines.

Tuck Loong looked to his roots to come up with his design.

Lestat is a senior designer with Radioactive, a label that churns out urban and street wear. He is more noted for designing t-shirts that hark back to his Goth inspirations. He believes that only if dark forces exist can positive energy arise. Thus he feels that despite the evil in the world, a beacon of hope exists for the future.

"I still fall back on my usual sensibilities even though it's not a T-shirt. The template is different but the graphic elements are still the same. I employ a conceptual engine as the main graphic and there are colourful lines all over the piece. The engine is generating positive energy," explains Lestat.

Multimedia designer Tuck Loong admits that he has limited exposure to fashion itself but he did take part in the Piala Sri Endon batik competition. Just like Syaiful, he looked to his cultural roots to come up with his design.

The coming Olympics in China also inspired him. And the colour red was the core of the design with its strong Chinese imagery. It also represents to Tuck Loong energy, life, passion and vitality, qualities that are integral to life and he hopes will still be around in the future.

"I have the cheongsam collar and use some traditional Chinese prints. I also employ braid trimmings. Maybe it is suitable for a woman but I think a man could also wear it," affirms Tuck Loong.

You will have the opportunity as Nike is looking at the possibility of producing the four designs in limited quantities for sale in its stores!