Nike CEO Mark Parker Says That Collaborations Are Important for the Future of Nike

He breaks down everything you need to know about where the company's headed.

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Complex Original

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Collaborations are a dime a dozen, and most are pointless and lack impact. That can rarely be said about the projects that Nike involves itself in, though. The brand is highly selective with who it works with, and each collaboration is calculated and serves a purpose. Nike CEO Mark Parker had a recent discussion with Hypebeast on the topic of collaborations and their importance to his company's future.

"Collaboration is a powerful strategy for unlocking new opportunities for Nike," Parker said. "I firmly believe that our future potential will be based, in large part, on our ability to collaborate with the right partners in the right ways."

A few of the brand's partners include fashion labels and designers such as Acronym and Riccardo Tisci, but they're not who Nike has its biggest focus on. It's the people at the spirit of the company: athletes.

"Let’s start with the athlete, Nike’s original and most important collaborator. To us, everything starts with the insight. That’s why we work with the deepest roster of athletes, to gain the most profound understanding of what’s needed to perform," Parker said. "We’re privileged to work in the world of sports because our source of inspiration – the athlete – never stops progressing. No athlete wakes up and thinks, 'Today, I want to perform the same as I did yesterday.' It’s always about getting better, which means we’ll always have new problems to solve. Our job is never done."

The rest of the interview can — and should be — read here.