How to get your hands on the Kendrick-approved Martine Rose x Nike AW23 collection

BACK IN FEBRUARY, Kendrick Lamar stole the show at the 65th Grammy Awards. Not with a performance, nor a particularly memorable speech upon winning Best Rap Album, but an outfit. An ensemble — save for the accessories, including the New Era Dodgers cap that bore the name of his entertainment company, Pg Lang — that was one hundred per cent fresh-off-the-runway Martine Rose, worn as seen on the British designer’s Pitti Uomo AW23 show just a few weeks prior.
The primary talking point? Those Nineties-inspired blue-to-purple gradient Martine Rose x Nike Shox Mule MR 4 sneakers, which are now confirmed to drop later this month — a little earlier than expected.
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The conspicuously smart-casual shoe worn by the self-proclaimed best-dressed rapper is the fourth colourway of the collaborative silhouette that debuted last year. It will be accompanied by a second gradient colourway (one that transitions from a neon yellow to an equally luminous orange) in addition to a predominantly black iteration prettified by an artsy sidewall panel characterised by bursts of colour.

And that’s not all. The collaborators have also announced that a genderless tailored line will launch in tandem with the trainers. Pieces like a swoosh-embossed suit, a chic trench coat and a pair of sleek visor sunglasses make up Rose’s third project with the sportswear giant, all inspired by the concept of dismantling the boundaries between player kit and player suiting.
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By no coincidence, the release coincides with the Fifa Women’s 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. We expect to see the Lionesses champion the collection as they move to and from matches out in Oceania — not simply because of Rose’s inspiration for the collection, but also since the Swoosh recruited football icons like Leah Williamson and Rachel Yankey to star in the drop’s campaign.

The Martine Rose x Nike AW23 collection will release on the Martine Rose webstore on Tuesday 25 July, and on Nike SNKRS and at select Nike stockists on Thursday 27 July. Check back soon for further information.
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This article by Joseph Furness originally appeared on Esquire UK.