Nike and Lego made a kids' sneaker together
Lego makes shoes for humans now.
The Danish toymaker announced a cobranded bright Lego yellow kids sneaker today in collaboration with Nike. The Nike Air Max Dn x Lego was designed in a 'Tour Yellow' colorway with Lego-style studs on the upper, Lego's red block logo on the tongue, and hybrid Nike-Lego logo on the back. The shoes will be available for sale in August following a 1,180-piece Lego Nike Dunk set to be released in July that includes a rotatable brick basketball toy.
Together, the shoes and basketball-themed Lego set are the first releases in a joint multiyear partnership between Nike and Lego that the companies announced last year and said would span 'products, content, and experiences.'
The LEGO Group says in a study of parents it found 59% of respondents worried their children don't have sufficient fun activities or playtime. To respond to those concerns, Nike said the partnership would 'bring to life the many ways sport and creative play can help all kids be the best versions of themselves.' Online, reaction to an early look at the Nike x Lego shoe was mixed, but remember, this is a shoe for kids, not grown sneakerheads. It's about taking an inside toy brand and extending it to physical play, and showing the connection between creativity in play as well as in success in other areas of life.
To do that, Nike and Lego tapped A'ja Wilson, the WNBA Las Vegas Aces center and Nike signature athlete, to appear on the brand's digital channels to promote the partnership. The brands are also opening a pop-up Lego Play Arena at Legoland California Resort from June 7 to 11 to mark International Day of Play. A Nike Dunk Low x Lego collection is to come.
'I have loved playing with Lego bricks since I was a kid and know that my creativity and play helped me not only in sports but also at school and in life,' Wilson said in a statement.
Lego has made partnerships a central part of its business model by releasing branded sets for outside intellectual property, like Marvel, Harry Potter, and Star Wars, as well as adult sets based on art history and architecture. By collaborating with Nike, these brands extend their reach into new product categories, capturing likely new customer bases. Nike similarlly benefits from attaching itself to a product aimed at young people who will grow into Nike buyers.
As Nike aims to increase its market share, it's doing so, in part, one demographic group at a time. Earlier this year, it announced a new brand in partnership with Skims to puncture the women's athleisure market. With Lego, kids are next.
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