Heartbreak's Art of Speed brought creativity and self expression together in a new way - using high-tech garments & footwear and including a race with the exhibit. Greg Itahara of Itahara Custom Design worked closely with Ameerah Vania, Jacey Hernandez, Jack Bonney, J Mulla, Niles Porter, Holly Tyler, Mo Holmes, Kam Casey, Steph Brisco and Sam Zona. The output brought a new and dynamic look to racing gear. Learn more about the work and the ideas behind it from the artists themselves.
AMEERAH VANIA
Sport touches people in different ways. It’s a way for many to find their tribe. The color here represents skin tone and I believe the messaging speaks for itself. Let’s not punish our athletes for speaking out on injustice. Instead, let’s stand with them.
KAM CASEY
When I run, I use it as a time to reconnect. I believe that running has the power to reconnect ourselves with our mind and body, as well as our surroundings. Hearing every breath and feeling every step, you fall into a rhythmic meditative state and it's really beautiful. Some of the most transcendent experiences of my life have happened while running and I think that anyone can harness that power. Specific to my design, I wanted to focus on runnings ability to reconnect us to nature. In our waking lives, we take and take from the earth, but when you're running, you and nature are equals. The thought was to make a jersey with hues of green to simulate the blur of passing leaves. I did this using a shibori dying technique that required me to create a sewing pattern to get the desired effect. The shoes were a bit of improv, I wanted to do swooshes that almost looked like moss and a clean green line down the side, but I messed up the green line. So I did my best Bob Ross impression and painted some little leaves.
SAM ZONA
Homage to vintage racing t-shirts. There is almost nothing that makes me more nostalgic for that early aughts and late 90's feeling than a classic vintage t-shirt.
And the best vintage designs? Almost always created for a city-wide public event. The bold primary colors, the blocky cityscapes, off-white coloring from years of wear and usage, and always featuring an abstract human figure or silhouette in motion. These t-shirt designs inspire a feeling of community, metropolitanism, and the amazing events and opportunities American cities have to offer us.
Here is my attempt to emulate a vintage city-marathon design, not on a t-shirt, but a Nike Aeroswift Singlet for The Art of Speed.
J MULLA
Everyone in the world has a little bit of Menace inside of them. That doesn’t mean anything bad. At Menace Cartel, being a “Menace” means “To be A Stronger You” & to overcome any obstacles put in front of you. That’s a trait all Chicagoans have because a lot of today’s role models were bred from Chicago. Even when you come from nothing, you can be destined for greatness!
STEPH BRISCO
My work is an ode to the unheard voices of the underground artist. Underground artists push the scene forward. Although everyone may not be heard yet, they have a voice; we all make a sound.
NILES PORTER
Growing up an athlete, I had the pleasure of playing many different sports. In middle school I decided to try running cross country. I fell in love with running immediately. In spirit of my experience, I decided to recreate the uniform I competed in, my P.E. uniform! Along with an added signature motif from my personal brand for the jerseys label, this uniform totally encompasses my past to present experiences as an athlete and creative.
HOLLY TYLER
This looks like a simple cityscape, but it is a conglomerate of landmarks and representations from the top 10 largest US marathons. While our nation can feel quite divided, cities and the running community within them often offer room for nuance and a deeper sense of community.
JACK BONNEY
Chicago is home to some of the most diverse forms of architecture in the world as well as engineering feats like the first skyscrapers, the reversal of the river, and so on. There is no place to take this all in than the lakefront path and on the water itself. The stone, cement, and steel blending together with the greens and blues of the parks and lake are reminiscent of the diverse culture of the city itself. Jumping down the cement steps and off the breakwall into the cool water after a hot run always rekindles my love for the city that has played such a major role in shaping the person I am.
JACEY HERNANDEZ
"Gawin Mo Lang" Description: As we all know, Nike’s motto “just do it”, is a line intended to motivate and inspire people all around the world from young to old, or small to big. Despite who you are, Nike inspires everyone to “just do it”, but today I hope to inspire and touch the hearts of my asian-american brothers and sisters and let them know they can do it too, or as we’d like to say “Gawin Mo Lang”.
MUHAMMAD HOLMES
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