FKA Twigs x Nike

NikeWomen has partnered with cultural icon FKA Twigs for the launch of its Spring ’17 collection. The collaboration, which sees Twigs star as Creative Director, celebrates the launch of the brand’s Zonal Strength Tights collection with a campaign entitled ‘Do You Believe In More?’. Conceptualised, directed, performed and soundtracked by Twigs herself, the campaign goes a lot further than promoting new activewear.

In an open letter penned to Nike, the starlet explained what the campaign means to her and why we should all be ‘believing in more’. ‘”Do you believe in more?” refers to a girl who grew up looking different from everybody else around me, who wanted to do things no one else wanted to do in a small town, who didn’t grow up with lots of money, but just had so much determination and hope inside [me],’ she wrote. ‘I wanted to do more with my life.’

Making moves

The campaign sheds light on the power of modern movement (which Twigs defines as ‘exploring any genre of sport without boundaries’), and encourages sport to be used as an important channel of expression, with the singer maintaining fitness has always been a positive part of her life. ‘Since as early as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with training and taking classes,’ she wrote. ‘When Nike reached out about doing a project together, I saw it as an opportunity to be inspirational to people who want to use their bodies in a positive way. I cast a group of amazing people who take their physicality seriously and have their own sense of style, in order to inspire people to be healthy and know that, through any genre of sport, they can be the best versions of themselves.’

Dare to be different

The campaign is indeed unique. Twigs, for example, handpicked 17-year-old photographer David Uzochukwu to shoot the imagery for the campaign in Mexico City, while casting a group of young people that – according to the star – ‘make movement something that goes beyond fitness’. Stars of the campaign include karate world champion Jay Kirton, fencer Miles Chamley-Watson and Saskia Horton, who is a classical violinist and dancer specialising in krumping. ‘It’s exciting to have created something that’s genuinely by and about young people who work hard, who are sensitive, who embrace both their strength and their vulnerabilities and who, together, feel that they can be successful,’ Twigs added.

Wear it well

The other star of the show – Nike’s newest Zonal Strength Tights – features compression zones built directly into the base fabric, targeting key muscle groups to reduce muscle vibration for an efficient workout that doesn’t restrict mobility.

‘”Do you believe in more?” is a question that anyone can ask themselves,’ Twigs concluded in her letter. ‘Do you believe that, in six months’ time, you’ll be able to run like that, or jump like that? Do you believe that you can use your confidence to get that promotion, or finish that creative project? It applies to whatever it is that you want to be or do.’

The collection is available now on nike.com. Check out the campaign video here: