Drake Announces the Launch of Nike Sub-Label NOCTA

The OVO artist breaks down the significance of the collaboration and what the Nike brand meant to him during his childhood and in today's world.

Drake
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Image via Getty/Mike Marsland/WireImage

Drake

Drake and Nike have officially announced the launch of a new sub-line NOCTA, a reference to the rapper's "nocturnal creative process."

The OVO boss released a statement in which he shared some thoughts on the collaboration as well as what the Nike brand has meant to him throughout the years. 

"This moment is full circle for me. I mean, growing up Nike was everything," he said. "It felt like every shoe I wanted, every athlete I liked, everything I owned was Nike. It didn’t mean anything unless it had a Swoosh."

He continued: "I remember watching all these athletes repping Nike—each doing the unthinkable—and how inspiring it was. I always felt like there was an opportunity for Nike to embrace an entertainer the same way they had athletes. I thought about how crazy it would have been and what it would have meant for an artist to have a flagship Nike deal...NOCTA is a realization of all these thoughts and everything I had hoped for."

According to the post, NOCTA will put a heavy emphasis on functionality as well comfort, almost serving as a uniform for the grinders, hard workers, and people who are constantly on the move and refuse to take shortcuts. 

"That mindset also includes loyalty and team," Drake added. "Whether you are in Toronto, London or Paris, there's this uniform look—Nike Tech Fleece, the gloves, the hat—and it has a real team feel. I wanted to take a piece of that culture that I grew up with, that school of thought, and bring the best to it. With NOCTA, we were trying to make the hardest jacket, the hardest tracksuit, the hardest gloves. Just the best of that world."

The Nike NOCTA collection will drop globally starting on Dec. 18. Visit nocta.com for more.

The sub-line continues Drake's relationship with the athletic wear giant, following the release of the co-branded Certified Lover Boy merch as well as the "Laugh Now Cry Later" video that was shot at the Nike headquarters.

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