Nike introduces new line designed by Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci

Sporting giant Nike has joined forces with a fashion giant: Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci, 41, from Taranto, Italy, has created a collection of sneakers and track suits that will hit stores in parallel with the Rio Summer Olympic Games.

"My lawyer is an ultra-chic 55 year old woman and she wears Nike shoes," said the creative director of one of Paris' most exclusives fashion labels as he explained the realities of contemporary fashion to the Financial Times. About his collaboration with Nike, a result also of his love for everything American, Tisci said in his interview to the financial newspaper that "it made him feel more accomplished".

The NikeLab x RT: Training Redefined collection, available in stores next July/August at prices from €44 to €230, is a combination of Tisci's styling vision with Nike's know-how in materials and motion.

"Being found in every home is every designer's dream," the Italian stylist said to Vogue. In this democratic vein, last year Tisci presented his autumn-winter collection on a Manhattan pier that was open to the neighbourhood's residents. For Nike he has created both men's and women's items, half of them in black and white and the other half in vibrant colours, inspired by the flowers of Oregon, Nike's home state, and also of Taranto and Rio de Janeiro, the Olympics' venue.

Tisci's collaboration with the sporting world mirrors those of other major fashion names, such as Alexander Wang, who designed a sportswear line 'for everyone' for H&M, and above all Stella McCartney for Adidas. "I made several discoveries," the designer explained to the FT: "For example, many items aren't sewn but fused or glued together. Every ounce, every extra weight you eliminate in a garment allows the wearer to perform better."

This was not Tisci's first collaboration with Nike. He already worked with the sportswear giant on special editions for the Dunk and Air Force 1 shoes, in both cases adapting an existing design. "This is the first time in which everything is brand new, and all shapes are Riccardo Tisci's,”  he stated to the FT. "The objective was to introduce new volumes and new concepts in the sporting industry, while still respecting Nike's functionality and performance."