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.

Exhibition Summary

NLS Leader Film

Here, through NLS Leader Film, visitors take their first step into the world of [The Premiere], apart from their daily lives.

“Para-noise Utopia”
Air Force 1 Para-noise
designed by G-Dragon

Para-noise was created inspired by sounds that transcend time and space. In this space, we presented a 2024 version of G-Dragon’s utopia centered around the atelier dreamed of G-Dragon with three different artists who are electronic music producer Doeon Kim, installation artist Erica Cox, and new media artist LeeSeok, taking inspiration from the stories of products and G-Dragon’s vision through a dominant sound with visual showcase covering AF1 Para-noise from the beginning.

“SNDR Square”
Air Max SNDR by Nike

At SNDR Square, a nostalgic atmosphere inspired by the rave culture of 1999—when the Air Max SNDR was first launched—comes to life. The space features an arcade game designed by installation artist Miraimono, known for blending subculture-inspired colors with boundless mediums like gaming and VR.
Visitors can immerse themselves in the Air Max SNDR experience, exploring the unique vibe through provided assets while enjoying a colorful, character-driven game that showcases the many shades of SNDR.*

“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

Catalyst Social

PEACEMINUSONE Dinner with  ‘Para-Noise 3.0’ (Aug 18th)

In celebrating GD’s birthday at dinner, the 3rd edition of Air Force Para-Noise was unveiled to the world by GD’s friends and family. Numerous catalysts including GD raised people’s anticipation for the release of the new sneakers by posting the content on their social channels.