Nike’s first Indian design collaboration nods to a 5,000-year-old tie-dyeing technique

Nike has launched its first ever collaboration with an Indian fashion label, unveiling a range of patterned sportswear inspired by the country’s ancient tie-dying techniques.

Created alongside Delhi-based brand NorBlack NorWhite, the colorful footwear and apparel collection “invites women into sport” while celebrating “Indian culture and craftsmanship,” according to a Nike press release.

The brands’ new campaign, unveiled this week, features Indian cricketers Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma, alongside wrestler Anshu Malik and sprinter Priya Mohan. Accompanying images, shot by celebrated fashion photographer Bharat Sikka, show the female athletes posing in the historic city of Jaipur — including on its iconic stepwells.

The move signals Nike’s renewed ambitions for a market in which it has experienced mixed fortunes since entering, via a licensing deal, in 1995. After established a wholly owned subsidiary nine years later, the company gambled heavily on the country’s most popular sport, cricket, beating rivals Adidas and Reebok to a 1.97-billion-rupee (then $44 million) deal to outfit the Indian national team in 2005.

But Nike has since struggled to make commercial inroads, with local media reporting in 2019 that it had slashed the number of stores in India to 150, down from a peak of 350. The brand’s website directory currently lists just 93 stores in India, compared to more than 2,600 in mainland China, a market of comparable population.

The sportwear giant also appears to be pushing its women’s apparel business, which has traditionally lagged behind its menswear. Several recent campaigns have spotlighted female athletes, with this year’s Super Bowl ad featuring WNBA star Caitlin Clark and Olympic sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson.

The collection with female-owned NorBlack NorWhite features a hoodie, tank top, T-shirt and sports bras, as well as a cross-body bag and several pairs of sneakers, including a variation of the popular Air Max range. The items’ patterned motifs nod to “bandhani,” a hand-dying technique — thought to date back 5,000 years — used on the subcontinent to produce vibrant, geometric shapes on woven cloth.

It is a technique that NorBlack NorWhite has often incorporated into its designs. Founded by Canadian-born designers Mriga Kapadiya and Amrit Kumar, following their relocation to India in 2010, the label is known for combining streetwear with local craft traditions.

In a statement, published via Nike’s website, Kapadiya said the brand “started with a deep admiration for the crafts practices of India and the people who bring them to life.”

“This collection shines a light on the rigor, dedication and ancestral knowledge that’s rooted in Indian culture,” she added, “and we hope each piece inspires women to draw into their own athletic mindset while navigating everyday life in India and around the world.”

[Sour