Air Max Tailwind V x Skepta
Behind the Design
Skepta might hail from London but his multi-faceted artistry has won him admirers the world over. Now one of Nike’s most long-standing collaborators, with this second Tailwind V colourway, the “Bloody Chrome”, Skepta writes a new chapter for Sk Air.
The inspiration for this silhouette was drawn from the natural world, where Skepta saw a powerful metaphor for the notion of creative rebirth in the lifecycle of a butterfly. With this in mind, adding the butterfly wing-inspired upper of 2007’s Tailwind V Plus to the Air Max Tailwind V silhouette was the pivotal design move that created this future classic.
Complementing the architecture of the shoe is the sublimated butterfly wing print on the upper, providing a further exploration of metamorphosis. Chosen only after reviewing around 50 different options, this print is also applied to the Phantom GT x Skepta that accompanies the “Bloody Chrome” Tailwind V and is the first-ever Nike Football boot designed in partnership with a music artist.
A goal for this project was for it to reflect Skepta’s iconic, ever-evolving sense of personal style whilst still feeling in-keeping with the Sk Air lineage. The extensive use of Chrome – both on the Swoosh and the shank – references the white gold and silver jewellery that’s synonymous with Skepta and in doing so reuses the materiality of the Swoosh on 2019’s Sk Shox.
The eye-catching heel unit is wrapped in an iridescent material, adding a splash of colour to the overall aesthetic. This detail represents a nod to Skepta’s musical back catalogue, evoking the thermographic cover artwork of his 2019 album Ignorance Is Bliss.