Doyenne x NIKE SB

Doyenne x NIKE SB

Glasgow based Doyenne is a brand and design studio run by women with a focus on inclusivity. For their new collaboration with Nike SB the group has assembled a collection of clothing plus a spin on the classic Nike SB Blazer Low. We managed to grab some of their time ahead of the launch to gain an insight into the collaborative process and what makes the Doyenne x Nike SB collection unique. 

Nike SB Blazer x Doyenne - Welcome interview

Hi Doyenne, how has the Nike SB collaboration gone?

Nike SB have been extremely supportive throughout the whole process. We had our first conversation about collaborating in 2020, since then it’s had to be kept super secret.

How much input on the design did you have when designing the collection? 

Literally everything from choosing the shoe to work with, and every material that went into the collection, even down to the wearability. 

We chose the GT Blazer because it’s a classic skate-able silhouette which we already liked, we had the opportunity to choose anything and we felt like the Dunk, which is great, was too obvious. The Dunk has been done a lot and it just wasn’t us. 

We wanted to make the shoe reflect the values of Doyenne too. We have continued those throughout the collection’s process; it doesn't contain any animal product and we’ve attempted to create the least amount of emissions possible. It was tough from the start because most skate shoes have suede or leather uppers (which work well), we have Pineapple Canvas uppers, which might be a first for Nike SB? We needed the shoes to last too but the ‘ruin-ability’ of canvas can be quick so we’ve got the usual Ollie patch but areas are backed up by 3 layers of rubber, and as each layer wears down the colour of shoes come through which also makes every pair unique, a lot like the matching apparel collection.

To cut down on waste and emissions the shoe is undyed which works really well with our clean generally neutral aesthetic and is again more environmentally friendly.

On top of that the shoe has been developed with accessibility in mind. For example we were really stoked on the use of elastic in the Blazer, it can be worn without tying your laces everytime like a slip on and it allows for a different fit for everyone in mind.

You just want a skate shoe that people can skate in, you can’t get it to suit everyone but we wanted it to work for most people. It just had to be as inclusive as possible.

Doyenne x Nike SB Welcome interview

You’ve got a whole outfit to go with the shoe, other than the pieces you’ve designed with Doyenne were there any additional inspirations you pulled from? 

The collection of clothing which is something we’ve been doing for a while by ourselves is everything we’ve wanted to do, but being so small we didn’t have the manufacturing power that Nike has. 

We were inspired by artists Georgia O’Keeffe, Ray Eames and Louise Bourgeois personal styles. The workers jacket is reminiscent of the typical workwear jacket with the usual collar and multiple large welt pockets. It’s reversible in case you wanted to keep things neutral or colourful. It's sick, you can fold the cuffs up to show a little bit of the pattern if you wanted to too. More importantly instead of the regular welt buttons we opted to use magnets for those less able to use buttons, again adding to the accessibility of the collection.

The whole collection, like Doyenne, is supposed to be unique so the wearer can mix things up for their own style. Each print is printed a little bit differently which makes them all unique, just like skateboarders.

It sounds like you are attempting to do some things that haven’t been seen in skateboarding before, were there any mantras getting you through this challenge?

Hahah, maybe. We wanted a collection of duality which is in all of us, we have these timeless neutral colours for when you feel one way and the bright coloured patterns for when you’re feeling vibrant. Chaotic fluidity!

So what’s next for Doyenne? 

We’ve been working on this for a long time, this isn’t just about gender now, it’s an intersection of everyone, it’s accessibility too and this is just the start. There’s a long way to go.

The Nike SB x Doyenne collection is available from Friday the 3rd of March. HERE

Nike SB x Doyenne

Images courtesy of Nike SB