A (mis)match made in heaven?
American luxury jewellery brand from Manhattan Tiffany & Co. and sportswear brand Nike have announced a collaboration with the debut of an Air Force 1 sneaker.
The black shoe – adorned with Tiffany’s iconic blue colour for the Swoosh – marks a continued celebration of Nike’s Air Force 1’s 40th anniversary, and is a first official partnership for the brands.
Rather bafflingly, the «A Legendary Pair» collab (priced at $400 /approx. €370), also includes limited-edition sterling silver products: a shoe horn and brush, a dubrae for the Nike x Tiffany & Co. Air Force 1 1837 laces and, interestingly, sterling silver whistle.
These accessories come within the price range of $250-$475 (approx. €232-€440).
“Each design is as much a celebration of the Nike x Tiffany & Co. Air Force 1 1837 as it is a display of the House’s unparalleled savoir faire and craftsmanship,” Tiffany & Co. and Nike said in a joint media release.
The mismatched collaboration no one asked for
The backlash was swift.
The two don’t immediately seem like a match made in heaven, as Tiffany’s is synonymous with wealth and elegance, while Nike pride themselves on promoting street fashion.
Netizens have trolled the pairing between two mismatched brands, calling out the luxury brand’s ongoing endeavour to appear less picky with its choice of collaborators and, in this case, appeal to the younger generation by using Nike’s street cred.
Some called out Tiffany & Co. for “trying way too hard”…
One mentioned a very special place reserved for the collab’s design and accessories:
Others thought that the McDonald’s pair were far more inspired and that the missed opportunity made the new model “the lamest shoe possible”:
One Twitter user posted images of AI-generated designs for the collab shoe versus what the design actually looks like…
Another called out the actual product for being underwhelming compared to the “interesting / provocative AI takes”:
Another stated that the $475 toothbrush “makes NFTs seem not that bad”…
While this user decided to give up on culture following the collab drop:
In 2021, LVMH acquired Tiffany & Co. as one of its 75 luxury houses.
Before this Tiffany’s had never done a true collaboration with another brand.
Since its 2021 acquisition by LVMH, the jeweler has tapped a number of surprising collaborations aimed at rebranding, creating more online buzz, and wooing younger audiences. They partnered with Supreme and Fendi and, in honour of the 2023 Super Bowl, Tiffany’s collaborated with the NFL and Mitchel & Ness to design a Tiffany’s-inspired jersey.
Not that Nike haven’t branched out either… The brand has teamed up with uber-luxurious labels over the years, like Louis Vuitton and Dior for its Air Force 1s and Jordans.
The Nike x Tiffany & Co. Air Force 1 1837 launches on 7 March 2023.
