Rahmi Halaby
Nike came to Philadelphia to make a Philly sneaker. They came to me to make sure they got it right.
I was immersed in Philly art and design culture at a young age. When Atmos called, I understood immediately what was at stake: not just a shoe, but whether Philadelphia would get to see itself reflected accurately, or get flattened into a sandwich.
My role was to serve as a cultural design consultant to the Nike design team, ensuring the sneaker's references, materials, and details were grounded in what actually makes Philadelphia Philadelphia.
For Philly, by Philly
Client.
Nike
Category.
Consulting
Contributors.
Nike Design Team, L& H Creative Team, Atmos Creative Team
As a Philadelphian sneaker enthusiast, I am keenly aware of the impact that the Atmos team (formerly Ubiq) has had on Philly street culture, going back to the Gallery mall days. So when they call, you answer.
This one ended up being a dream project, one of those projects that 14 year old me wouldn't believe that I was involved in.
The Nike team was working on developing a Philly sneaker. They reached out to me in a consultant capacity to ensure that the sneaker design was authentically Philadelphia.
Nike (yes Nike) was making a Philly sneaker (a mf Philly sneaker) and they needed me to make sure the sneaker design remained authentic to the city that I love and care deeply about. Absolute insanity.
One thing that we discussed a lot was Philadelphia's under recognized art scene. Growing up as the son of an artist and spending a lot of time with the Zagar family, I feel very strongly that Philadelphia's public art is a large part of what makes this city unique.
I'm sure that I am not the only Philly native designer that they brought in to consult, but I like to think that I had a direct impact on the final design of the sneaker through the representation of Philly murals shown in the inner lining.
I pushed hard for an airmax 95, but you can't win em all.
Too often, outside companies come to town, slap jawn on an add, take some pictures at the Rocky steps and head back to where ever they came from. The main impact that I was able to have on this project was simply ensuring the design didn't flatten Philadelphia into its most legible exports. Philly deserved a sneaker that came from people who actually know the city, not a mood board of Rocky steps and cheesesteaks. I'm proud to say that I was able to work with the Nike team to deliver just that.
Starting with the Land
