sacai Debuts New Nikes & Carhartt Collab for FW23

Chitose Abe’s sacai issues collaborations so often that they often spill out beyond seasonal collections and into occasional pop-ups or standalone events. Sure, there are plenty of special things created for sacai’s proper offerings, but there’s often just too much to fit into a single clothing line.

Of course, the main event for casual onlookers is sacai’s ongoing Nike partnership, which continues for Fall/Winter 2023 by way of several new sneakers that appear to riff on the Air Footscape, debuted alongside a fresh collaboration with Carhartt WIP.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CnuGxCYhGB_/

Though they weren’t the main event at sacai’s FW23 presentation at Paris Fashion Week, held on January 22, sacai’s latest Nike collaboration was visible in several colorful permutations underfoot, bringing together the asymmetric lacing structure of the Footscape with trek cues seen in recent ACG hikers.

This is a departure from sacai’s doubled-up spins on the Cortez, Blazer, and VaporWaffle, straying from Nike’s historic models for something a little funkier.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CnuI2w1tMd-/

Like several other footwear brand’s comparatively niche designs — adidas campus, Reebok InstaPump Fury — Nike’s Footscape has enjoyed consistent popularity in sacai’s native Japan. There was an HTM model that revived the model several years ago and Japanese sneaker obsessives like atmos and mita have all tried their hand at the style.

It’s a nice change for sacai to have its eye on an unconventional Nike shoe, having delivering loads of more straightforward stuff for years now (remember, sacai’s first Nike collab was an Air Max 90).

https://www.instagram.com/p/CnuIoY5NouQ/

Alongside the new Nike sneakers, sacai also introduced a collaboration with Carhartt WIP, further ingratiating the workwear stalwart with luxury labels following the recent Marni collab.

sacai’s take on Carhartt workwear is right up Abe’s alley, demonstrating the garment hybridization that sacai is famed for. Chore coats are reimagined as knit jackets, longline faux fur-trimmed parkas, and multifaceted layering pieces with bomber-style pockets and plackets.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CnuH5rXJjkL/

There are even chunky Carhartt sweaters, taking the blue collar Detroit brand to stylish new heights.

It’s all part of how sacai brings these brands into its own world, iterating new shapes atop recognizable source material.