A Recent History of fragment design x Nike Collaborations

Nike's relationship with Hiroshi Fujiwara is unlike any other sneaker partnership in the game. Their history together is one that runs deep and has resulted in numerous projects. Almost like a signature line. From Nike's HTM initiative, where Fujiwara works alongside Swoosh heavyweights Tinker Hatfield and Mark Parker, to limited collaborations spearheaded by his fragment design label, the renowned Japanese creative always has something up his sleeve with the sportswear company.

This weekend, the partnership between Nike and fragment design takes a major turn when the Air Jordan 1 gets the double lightning bolt treatment. But how exactly did we get to this point? From Tennis Classics to Dunks and Air Force 1s, we go five years back into the archives in A Recent History of fragment design x Nike Collaborations.

Release: April 2010

The Nike Air Footscape Motion was certainly a model ahead of its time. While runners have been getting a lot of play as of late with the likes of Flyknit, Air Max mashups, and a host of other silhouettes, there wasn't a huge demand for non-hoops sneakers during this time. fragment design took the Footscape model and created a radical collaboration that was driven by a Flywire upper and a Free sole.

Release: April 2010/May 2010

fragment design is usually known for its no-frills approach to design. It's through color schemes, materials, and fine details that has always elevated its work. For the Nike All Court Low, fragment design kept the tennis sneaker's canvas DNA intact. The sneakers donned bare-bones branding with a single “NIKE” hit on the heel and fragment design's logo on the insert. There were four colorways—navy, red, white, and black—and each one sported a tonal make-up that saw heavy cotton paired with leather and terry cloth details.

Release: May 2010

Japanese powerhouses fragment design and UnderCover connected with Nike for a triple-threat collaboration. The result was a huge five-sneaker collection that used the oft-forgotten Match Classic. The model shared similarities with the Tennis Classic silhouette, so it was only right for Fujiwara to continue in the path of minimal tennis sneakers. And while the collaboration came from three brands with their own distinct identities, branding was subtle and the overall integrity of the silhouette wasn't compromised.

Release: September 2010

Never one to shy away from classic tennis sneakers, fragment design took the All Court sneaker and gave it a high-end upgrade. Instead of the low-profile model's usual canvas make-up, the Japanese brand went H.A.M. and decked out the collection with premium materials, including white croc and tumbled leather.

Release: December 2010

fragment design veered from its usual minimal aesthetic when it collaborated with Nike on the Dunk High. The collection was made up of three offerings—“London,” “NYC,” and “Beijing”—and each colorway was highlighted by strategically mismatched pairs. Both of the “London” and “Beijing” iterations featured inverse left and right sneakers of their respective colorways, while the “NYC” version, which was actually designed in connection with Japanese designer Sk8thing, used a different color altogether to mismatch the set.

Release: February 2011

The Nike All Court Low “Canvas” collection from fragment design brought back the sneaker to its roots. Instead of leather, suede, or some sort of exotic paneling, the low-profile shoe was done up in a simple canvas material with a crisp white upper. Its red, black, and green trims on each sneaker added some pop to an otherwise all-white color scheme.

Release: April 2011

Like their collaboration from 2010, fragment design, UnderCover, and Nike were back with another take on the Match Classic. This time, the collection was only made up of two colorways, instead of the whopping five pairs from the last project. This latest batch of Match Classics maintained the minimal aesthetic of the tennis sneaker with soft blue and grey color schemes. Branding was kept to an absolute minimum and only comes by way of a tiny Swoosh and midsole marks from fragment design and UnderCover.

Release: September 2011

The second iteration of the classic Nike All Court model, which sports a much more sleeker design compared to its predecessor, gets fragment design treatment that—well—isn't quite obvious. Decked out in navy and white canvas uppers, each pair is actually devoid of fragment design branding.

Release: September 2011

You can always count on fragment design to take on the Nike Tennis Classic. For this collaboration, which used the velcro iteration of the vintage sneaker, a crisp white leather took over the entire upper for a familiar color scheme. The three-sneaker collection was set off by contrasting heel tab accents and an embossed fragment design logo. The set of velcro straps certainly proved to be unique, which has always been Hiroshi Fujiwara's M.O. with these Nike collabs.

Release: September 2011

fragment design used a wild leopard print on the Nike All Court 2 Low, turning the sneaker known for its minimal aesthetic upside its head. Like its previous All Court 2 Low collab, this batch was without fragment design branding, allowing the vibrant pattern to stand on its own.

Release: December 2011

An ACG classic got hit with a fragment design update that saw an ultra premium weatherized suede. Done up in black, navy, and grey colorways, the Meriwether boot was built to battle the elements with its padded ankle, metal eyelets, tough rope laces, and medial side zips.

Release: December 2011

The ACG's super O.G. Air Magma got a similar update to the fragment design x Zoom Meriwether. The ideal outdoors sneaker saw two iterations done up in a nappy suede and a third covered in a murdered-out leather upper. The sneakers were not only made to tough it out against the elements, but to also look good from a street-style perspective. Leave it to Hiroshi Fujiwara to give you the best of both worlds.

Release: December 2011

The mid-profile version of the Nike All Court 2 featured a canvas upper highlighted by coke white, navy blue, and black. Silver eyelets added some contrast to the sneaker, which saw fragment design and fellow Japanese label Head Porter join forces, while a solid white toe cap and midsole finished off the simple color scheme. The collaboration was capped off with low-key fragment design branding on the woven tab placed on the medial side of the sneaker.

Release: August 2013

This pack was an homage to the city of Shanghai—and it saw a limited Shanghai release, too. Capturing the city’s mix of the old and the new, Fujiwara reimagined the Air Force 1 and Lunar Force 1, giving the low-profile silhouettes an updated look with luxe textured panels and fragment design branding.

Release: September 2013

Marking its first-ever Stefan Janoski collaboration with Nike SB, fragment design took a neutral, low-key approach with the pow-profile canvas sneaker. The trio of sneakers was outfitted in tones of black, grey, and purple, complete with contrast stitching and branding on the heels, sides, and tongue.

Release: September 2013

Not long after its first project with Nike SB, fragment design shifted its focus from the Janoski to Eric Koston's first signature sneaker. The minimalist take on the Koston 1s featured a black suede tonal upper with contrasting accents in white, plus fragment’s signature double lightning bolt mark on the heels and inner tongue.

Release: December 2013

Fragment’s second take on the Koston 1 saw a sleeker version of the skate shoe, outfitting the Koston in a slick, supple leather. Offering up colorways in black and white, the Kostons were finished with a perforated Swoosh and touches of white and blue.

Release: June 2014

The “Elite” version of Kevin Durant's sixth signature sneaker got hit with the double lightning bolts and resulted in two quality, street-ready sneakers. Both colorways featured a premium nappy suede and a luxe leather liner. In true collaboration form, the hyped sneakers were released without warning in-store through NikeLab and never even released online.

Release: August 20014

By now, it should be evident that fragment design is no stranger when it comes to the Tennis Classic, having used the model numerous times as the base of his Nike collaborations. Earlier this year, the Japanese label gave the crisp white tennis sneakers an extra luxe upgrade with subtle snakeskin and suede details on the heel tab.