NIKE AEOS is a performance sportswear brand extension of NikeŽ which focusses on equestrian-wear. Design inspiration comes from vintage sportswear and visibility: Both the visibility and safety of the horse and rider, and the vision and perception of the horse’s eye. This can be seen mainly through the use of high contrast colour blocking with reflective accents, while still achieving a modern take on vintage inspiration. NIKE AEOS targets a huge gap in the performance sportswear market. Garments on the equestrian-wear market already provide a cookie-cutter image, but NIKE AEOS challenges this. We cross boundaries, blurring the edges of sportswear and equestrian-wear, and are the first mainstream brand to do so. Riders no longer have to choose between function and design, because for NIKE AEOS, making sure the rider feels good is just as important as functionality.
HELIOS
PYROIS
AETHON
PHLEGON
AEOS
This simplistic colour palette consists of HELIOS| PYROIS| AETHON| PHLEGON and AEOS, named after Helios, the ancient Greek personification of the sun, and his four horses. AEOS is reflective to add safety to the wearer when riding outdoors. The colour palette consists of only 5 colours, with accents of black. There is a lot of focus on colour in this collection, so to make them work effectively together it meant having two more neutral colours for balance, and limiting the number of colours. The vibrancy is partly an aesthetic choice, but it is also to make the wearer more visible to other people, particularly road users, when riding, thereby making them much safer and at less risk of an accident.
The way horses’ eyes work is very different to humans’. Human eyes contain 3 cones, which enables us to see red, blue and green, whereas horse eyes contain 2. This means that their perception of colour is limited when compared to ours. The colour wheel on the right provides a representation of what colours horses are likely to see, as opposed to what we would normally see on the left. As well as cones, eyes also contain rods which detect light. Horses’ eyes contain more rods then human eyes, meaning they can see in the dark better than humans. It’s likely that evolution has sacrificed some colour detection for better vision at night since horses are flight animals. I want to use this idea of colour blindness as inspiration for my colour palette. I’ve looked at some colour-blind tests and I would like to use colours that are used together in these tests on the same garments. I also want to translate these high contrast colours into colour blocking, which also fits well with the design inspiration of vintage sportswear. I’ve continued with my theme of visibility of both riders and horses, so have been looking at traditional garments and items used for safety when riding, particularly when on roads, by making them more visible to other road users. These items normally use very bold, fluorescent colours and reflective strips. Some items by Equisafety aim to replicate the look of mounted Police uniform in order to make drivers behave more safely around horses on roads. There are also accessories which can be attached to tack with lights to increase visibility in low light, but I don’t think this will be relevant to my theme, as lights, particularly flashing lights which replicate the appearance of movement, can be alarming to horses.
Hermes has used performance fabrics for their luxury equestrian range. It consists of a few key pieces for riders and also some items for the horse, but again the clothes for the rider are quite traditional, although they use their standard orange colour on a lot of items which creates a more interesting colour palette. Some of the fabrics they use include Goretex Pro 3, which is water-resistant, wind proof and breathable. Features include bi-stretch fabric for the comfort of the rider and ease of movement, breathable membranes, taped seams, and insulating linings. Although Hermes have taken advantage of the disposable income many horse owners have by providing luxury garments, they have not made the most of the breadth of style of riders. Riders can be of all different ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds, so one look does not cater to all. I still believe there is a large gap in the market for me to target. Vintage and retro sportswear is providing a lot of inspiration for my garments. I won’t be taking much from silhouette as I will largely be sticking to form fitting shapes which are functional for full range of movement when riding and handling a horse. One of the biggest elements I can take away is the colour blocking of vibrant colours, and the panels used to create contrast. I want to use similar colours to these but I will have to adjust them to make sure they are bright enough to make the rider visible and safe.
- 15 This alternative area of sportswear allowed me to think creatively about what techniques and items I could use my graphics on to create brand awareness and positive brand connotations . I want NIKE AEOS to be primarily targeted towards 1825 year olds who are already Nike consumers, but I also would like to create maximum exposure and have a secondary market of slightly older or younger consumers. To associate the brand firmly with equestrianwear NIKE AEOS would sponsor events such as Blenheim Horse Trials and Windsor Horse Show, and have sponsored show jumps at these events, which I have designed here. These events are sponsored by huge brands such as Musto and Landrover, so this sponsorship would help to build an established and reputable brand. I have also designed a stall to appear at these events, where customers can buy items, frequently at show prices. I developed my branding into an alternative colourway which can be used alongside the monochrome as and when required. It works particularly well for the stall and show jump because these situations require bold colour. The monochrome is effective when a more subtle and sophisticated look is desired, and also on garments to achieve a desired colour palette. The red colourway is more effective in situations where the branding is desired to be more prominent, for example when the stall has to compete with rivals in the surrounding area. The monochrome could be better used in a Nike store to differentiate NIKE AEOS from other areas of sportswear.
- 15