The onslaught of summer typically brings with it a mushrooming of pop-up stores, bars and other fun short-term concepts, but few can hold a candle to Nike’s newly launched temporary initiative in Chicago: the opening of the NikeLab Re-Creation Center, in partnership with the ultimate polymath and Chicago native, Virgil Abloh. Now running through 28 July, the space has been designed to empower the local youth and community by tapping into the cultural pulse and heritage of Chicago, and hence help nurture the next generation of homegrown creativity.
Backed by a robust line of programming, such as workshops, giveback programs and of course, exclusive merchandise, the Re-Creation Center most notably involves a roster of influential, Chicago-based creative forces – selected by Abloh himself – who will not only host and lead sessions, but also serve as mentors for a specially curated mentorship program as well. These figures include graphic designer Chuck Anderson, photographer Paul Octavious, fabric designer/artist Alyx Harch, architects/designers Thomas Kelly and Carrie Norman for brand identity, and architects Ann Lui and Craig Reschke of Future Firm.
The mentorship program will welcome ten Chicagoan creatives for an eight week long immersive experience with Abloh and the mentors, which will enable them to not only refine their area of expertise, but also open themselves up to other complementary areas to their practice.
Although this enviable opportunity for career development is only available to a lucky few, all visitors to the NikeLab Chicago Re-Creation Center will be able to access the Reuse-a-Shoe initiative – a unique installation that recycles worn-out trainers by turning them into Nike Grind, the sports powerhouse’s proprietary material that transforms recycled footwear and surplus manufacturing material into premium sport surfaces like running tacks, gym floors, courts, playgrounds and turf fields. This material will ultimately be used in the building of a community basketball court in Chicago, also designed by Abloh, that’s currently set to open ahead of NBA All-Star 2020.
INFORMATION
NikeLab Chicago Re-Creation Center is open until 28 July. For more information, visit the Nike website
ADDRESS
673 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago
IL 60611
-
Sun Tower is a Chinese cultural attraction that draws on the celestial cycleSun Tower, an imaginative cultural attraction by Open Architecture, draws on the natural cycle and has just opened in China's seaside town of Yantai
-
Looking for a long-range luxury EV that’s a true Tesla alternative? Welcome to the Lucid AirWe drive the Lucid Air, the high-performance Californian EV that’s a welcome leftfield choice in a sea of Musk-mobiles. Vote Lucid!
-
Umbrian castle hotel Reschio seduces with 1,000 years of history, now explored in a new bookThe estate, home to a boutique hotel and rentable houses, is documented in Rizzoli's ‘Reschio: the First Thousand Years’ – and is open for stays
-
Kohler plunges into the world of wellness with an ice bath for your homeKohler has teamed up with Remedy Place to design an ice bath for the home, marking the brand’s first move into the wellness space
-
Henry Zankov is the knitwear non-conformist making fashion’s favourite sweaters‘It's about pushing the boundaries of what knitwear can be,’ says Henry Zankov, whose exuberant New York-based label is already beloved by fashion insiders
-
New York Fashion Week S/S 2025 highlights: Tory Burch to Michael KorsWallpaper* fashion features editor Jack Moss selects the best of New York Fashion Week S/S 2025 in our ongoing round-up, from a reinvention of sportswear at Tory Burch to Michael Kors’ Italian escape
-
What is the future of New York Fashion Week? The city’s independent designers weigh inAs New York Fashion Week begins today, Nicole DeMarco catches up with the city’s rising designers to talk about the positives, pressures and pitfalls of showing at NYFW, and asks: can you still ‘make it’ in New York City?
-
Gucci filled Tate Modern’s Tanks with thousands of plants for its latest Cruise showGucci’s Cruise 2025 show, the first by Sabato De Sarno, saw a ‘tapestry’ of plants fill the Herzog & de Meuron-designed Tanks in London’s Tate Modern as a dramatic backdrop to the show
-
‘Help me go faster’: How Nike Air is priming its athletes for Olympic successAhead of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Nike’s chief design officer Martin Lotti opens up to Wallpaper* about its latest high-performance sneakers, developed alongside world-leading athletes and honed using AI technology
-
Inside Sterling Ruby and OTW by Vans’ skatewear-inspired collaborationAmerican artist Sterling Ruby and OTW by Vans’ footwear collaboration was revealed in Los Angeles, backdropped by a specially constructed skate park created with PLAYLAB, INC
-
Inside John Lobb’s timelessly elegant New York flagship, a trove for shoe loversJohn Lobb opens its 700 Madison Avenue store, a walnut wood-clad space filled with sophisticated footwear for any occasion or terrain
