We hosted “NIKELAB SEOUL 2024: THE PREMIERE”, a unique intersection of sneakers, culture, and art, during Seoul’s most iconic art week, KIAF & Frieze, from September 3 to 8.
Unlike last year’s NikeLab Seoul event centered around the ISPA collection, this year’s event was inspired by three globally exclusive energy products, each with its own unique story. ‘AF1 Paranoise by GD, NIKE SB Visty Dunk by Verdy and AM SNDR’.
We chose ‘Daehan Cinema’—a symbol of Korean film history, now set to close its doors—as the venue to showcase these stories in a special way. NikeLab Seoul marked the end of this iconic theater’s journey in style. Presenting *The Premiere*, an event that encapsulates NikeLab’s vision, bridging the past, present, and future.
“Visty Cinematheque”
Nike SB Verdy Dunk by Verdy
Upon entering the space, visitors were greeted by Visty, filling the theater with energy. The iconic Nike SB Dunk, along with a skateboard and mini ramp, showcased the influence of Visty—Verdy’s signature character and a symbol of Japanese street art. Verdy, also the head of Girls Don't Cry studio, brought his unique style to life. The space was further enhanced by the work of artist Seo Soo-hyun, who used vibrant colors, fabrics, and fur materials to create a unique atmosphere that left a lasting impression on visitors.*
Workshops
The Premiere featured a series of public and private workshops that allowed visitors to explore the artists’ perspectives and the significance of the exhibition in their own unique ways.
The private workshop was inspired by the universes of the featured products, GD Para-noise and Verdy Visty Dunk. In the Para-noise workshop, participants created terrariums based on GD's futuristic utopia motif, each reflecting their own vision of utopia. They drew inspiration by composing unique terrariums.
In the T-shirt customization workshop with Verdy, participants had the chance to interact with the artist and create their own Visty-designed shirts, fostering a deeper connection with his creative vision.
Other walk-in activities, such as creating keychains using film mounts&fingerboards and exploring the badge making section effectively communicated the storytelling behind the exhibited products and Nike’s identity.
These workshops generated significant buzz among sneakerheads, leading to all workshop kits being sold out in a short time