Nike x Haati Chai
03.26.2018 was Nike Air Max Day
In honor of the launch of the Air Max 270, our brand Haati Chai partnered with Nike and custom designed jewelry to celebrate their newest shoe.
When first approached with this project, we wanted to encapsulate negative space to embody air without creating weight in the design.
As the Air Max 270 pulls inspiration from the iconic Air Max 93, it only seemed fitting that we also throw it back and return to our design roots by using one of our first mediums when designing jewelry - wire. Drafting these designs reminded me of some of the first jewelry I ever designed, but with a more refined approach.
A few days prior, Stella and I hosted a jewelry workshop. We helped our students express their creativity and design whatever piece of jewelry they wanted, from anklets to shoe chains. As a previous jewelry instructor, I really enjoyed teaching the workshop, and was instantly rewarded to see our students faces light up after seeing them create something with their hands.
An inspo photo that stemmed a lot of our designs from.
Here is an initial sketch I designed for them, playing with the outlines of the shoe, but with a flair of our original staple design work from Haati Chai.
I transitioned my initial sketch to CAD, and then the magic was made
A few styles we casted in 14 kt gold, prior to polishing.
This is a casting tree that didn't quite make the cut in production. However, even in it's imperfect perfect manufacturing, this casting tree is still stunning.
Stella and I taught a jewelry making workshop on Nike Air Day in our new Air Max 270's.
The Nike Air Max 270 is inspired by two icons of big Air: the Air Max 180 and Air Max 93. It features Nike’s biggest heel Air unit yet for a super-soft ride that feels as impossible as it looks.