Patter - 02
Quaint art direction and some seemingly good new community efforts
Just running things this week…
This lovely shoot for Soar Running somewhere in the English countryside really caught my eye. Shot by Jamie Shipston - Mourn and titled This Green and Pleasant Land.
Why I think this is interesting?
I quite like the departure from the two norms for running brands’ art direction of late: urban with a crew or steep, somewhat oppresive trails. However, this is quaint; the shots show no real movement or running - just the Soar gear inferring a run through the countryside.
Trail running adoption is still on the rise. As such, travel into these non-urban areas by individual runners and run crews is also. I’d like to see more of this such creative from brands.
The Nike Running Division NYC is a 16-week training programme for runners in New York racing a marathon this fall marathon season.
Why I think this is interesting?
Nike has lost something of a grip on running culture in recent years: their varying crews' presence has died down, and activations in cities have been very product PR focused. As a result, challenger brands have cleaned up on runner engagement.
To me, this such initiative signals something of a change coming and some more grassroots activity from swoosh.
Interestingly Asics has partnered with Bandit Running in New York to offer a virtual and live marathon training programme.
The New Balance ‘Warped Runner’ that cropped up in early June and then again officially via Auralee during their PFW show
Why I think this is interesting?
Running sneakers are A) streetwear staples and B) evergreen design reference points; Air Max 1s, New Balance 990s, Asics Gel Kayanos - the list goes on. However, in lifestyle contexts those shoes are somewhat archival in nature and no longer have the latest technology in them, nor the fierce-looking design of contemporary running shoes.
These New Balance are the opposite. A lifestyle shoe but with the midsole and sole of something you might be expecting to run fast in. It feels to me that the influence of contemporary running shoe design has caught up with a present-day lifestyle shoe in this case.
Photos: dane3fune
Some things I’ve read:
Both athlete ‘sponsorship’ related this time around —
Distance Store in Lyon and Nike have worked together to partner with a cross-country runner