Two brands collide in a winter collection that merges real mountain engineering with sharp runway restraint
Nike's latest collaboration has landed, and it's not the usual lifestyle drop we're used to from the company.
The brand's new Après Ski capsule with Jacquemus takes winter gear somewhere unexpected by blending genuine mountain-ready performance with the clean, architectural styling that made Jacquemus a fashion favourite.
It's a collection designed as much for riding fresh powder as stepping straight into a slope-side bar, and it's the closest the sportswear giant has come to creating a full high-fashion ski uniform.
Nike has used triple-layer GORE-TEX across shells and trousers, with fully waterproof jackets built to handle real winter storms.
The hybrid two-in-one jacket pairs a weatherproof shell with a removable insulated bomber lined in Primaloft.
Wear them together in biting cold or zip the bomber out when you're heading indoors, and both parts carry subtle Nike x Jacquemus co-branding rather than big, loud graphics.
The rest of the lineup continues the functional-fashion blend. Women's pieces include a water-repellent woven jumpsuit, high-waisted stirrup leggings and a sculpted bralette.
Men get a technical long-sleeve layering top and a reworked Jacquemus shirt made from a mountain-ready fabric rather than cotton.
Everything is cut with Jacquemus' signature minimalism but built with Nike's technical engineering, creating a wardrobe for people who want the warmth and protection of performance gear without looking like they just stepped out of a rental shop.
Jacquemus brings fashion-house credibility to the slopes for the first time, while Nike pushes deeper into the world of alpine gear at a moment when outdoors-meets-luxury is becoming one of the strongest trends in fashion.
The result is an 18-piece collection that looks like it belongs on a runway but behaves like it belongs in a blizzard, and that tension is exactly what makes it interesting.
The Nike x Jacquemus Après Ski apparel collection will be available on 26 November at Jacquemus and Jacquemus stores before launching on 3 December at Nike and select Nike stores and retail partners.