Nike targets female sneakerheads with launch of Nike Unlaced

By

Robin Driver

Published
Feb 28, 2018

American sportswear brand Nike announced a series of initiatives designed to better serve its female sneaker consumers on Wednesday, including the launch of Nike Unlaced, a women’s sneaker platform and retail concept.
 

The new digital destination seeks to offer female consumers a curated selection of sneakers, including performance models and collaborations, in an extended range of sizes. The platform will also provide personalized styling services and VIP member experiences, such as same-day delivery and exclusive hours, as well as the opportunity to organize one-on-one appointments with guest stylists.
 
The initiative is a spiritual successor to Nike’s online strategies targeting women in Europe, which have included product styling services and collaborations with local curators. In North America, the Nike x Nordstrom sneaker boutique experience, created through a collaboration with Olivia Kim, also served as inspiration for the creation of the new platform.

Intending to continue these collaborative efforts through the Nike Unlaced concept, the brand has announced local product curations with creatives from New York, Paris, London and Shanghai, promising that further locations will be revealed shortly.
 
According to the brand, Nike Unlaced aims to improve accessibility to sneakers for women, an objective also reflected by Nike’s decision to introduce extended unisex sizing to a selection of its classic Jordan styles and collaboration collections, including Virgil Abloh x Nike The TEN.
 
The international American sportswear company announced that Nike Air Force 1 and Air Max lines will also be available in an expanded range of sizes from the fall.
 
With the creation of the new platform and the introduction of inclusive sizing, Nike seems to be recognizing and responding to a shift occurring in the sneakerhead community, generally perceived as very male dominated. In a release, the company reiterated its commitment to promoting women’s voices in the sneaker space over the coming year, citing previous collaborations with Andrea Lieberman and the International Girls Crew, as well as the recent The 1 Reimagined project, the brand’s first collection designed entirely by a design collective made up of 14 women.
 
Nike Unlaced’s digital platform will launch on March 27, with the initiative moving into physical retail locations later in the year.