British rap star Dave has officially unveiled Nike and Skepta’s much-anticipated ‘Phantom SK’ Football Boot, a design that sees Big Smoke apply his creative vision to the world of football for the first time. The launch is a historic moment for both Nike and Skepta, with SK becoming the first music artist to collaborate with Nike on a performance football boot.
Fresh from donning the Blue version of his Nike Air Max Tailwind V out in LA, Skepta called upon Dave to front the campaign for the new boot and corresponding ‘Bloody Chrome’ colourway of the model, taking his long-standing partnership with the Swoosh to new levels on and off the pitch.
The two silhouettes share plenty of bespoke design details typical of SkAir collaborations, with the red butterfly print applied to the uppers representing Skepta’s exploration of creative metamorphosis. The Phantom Sk Boot boasts chrome Swooshes and soleplates, inspired by the silver jewellery that has long been an integral part of Skepta’s style.
As seen on the previous Sk Tailwind V, the heels of both the red Phantom and the Air Max feature an eye-catching iridescent material that serves as a nod to the thermographic cover art of Skepta’s 2019 album, Ignorance Is Bliss.
Presenting the Phantom and Nike Air Tailwind V together with two of the countries’ most gifted young talents in Mason Greenwood and Dave creates a full-circle view of Skepta’s community-focused, team-first mentality.
“I love the culture around football as much as the game,” says Skepta. “I’m really into the culture of football jerseys for what they represent—they represent ‘team.’ Going to matches is sick, too. When you go to a match, you experience live people, live audio, all the things that the TV might miss. You really feel it more than see it or hear it when you’re there. I love the pressure when you call for the ball. When they pass it to you, you become the sole director of the next move for the team. You’ve got a split second to decide, ‘is it good for me to keep this and show what I’m about or is it good to pass it and show that I’m thinking about all the players on the pitch?’”
The Nike Phantom x Skepta and ‘Bloody Chrome’ Nike Tailwind V x Skepta release on June 12 via Nike. Get a closer look at both models below.
