We couldn't figure out what to expect when the rumour mill suggested a Bode and Nike collaboration was on the way. Emily Adams Bode Aujla has built her New York-based brand around a tradition of upcycling antique textiles, implementing historical techniques, and imbuing clothes with sentiment the way only handicraft can. So what would she dream up with access to Nike's own history and design language?
The answer came following the launch of Bode's Fall 2024 ready-to-wear lookbook. It turns out Bode is reimagining the Nike Astro Grabber. Ring a bell? It's okay if it doesn't.
Released in the 1970s, the style is one of Nike's earliest models and has never been re-released. Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman was behind the design, and it features his famous waffle outsole created on a waffle iron specifically for playing on astroturf. We imagine the style's origin story paired with Bowerman's brainwave makes it a compelling candidate for team Bode.
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The Bode Astro Grabber plays with track and field motifs, keeping NFL in mind too. It's a slim monochrome style, and the toe box features a subtle lift. From the lookbook, dubbed Bode Recreation, it appears the Astro Grabber will be accompanied by a capsule of American athletic apparel with a focus on washable fabrics. It draws on archetypes found in the domain of American sports from the 1770s through the 1970s. Think: the marching band, water polo captain, tennis, the basketball team... it's a home run.
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Bode Recreation, and the Astro Grabber sneaker, emerge as the brand attempts to tap into a greater audience. "It’s not necessarily a different price point," Emily Adams Bode Aujla said at the label’s new headquarters in lower Manhattan, "it’s more about expanding our offering and our customer base".
Images: Twitter/X
