The Blazer gets a cutting-edge design. An upcycled collaboration between Nike and Readymade.

I have been playing basketball since the third grade, and Nike was not only the first shoe I bought on my own volition, but it was also the brand that made me fall in love with fashion.

So says designer Yuta Hosokawa. The long-awaited team-up between his Osaka-based remake brand "READYMADE" and "NIKE" has now come to fruition. What kind of approach did Mr. Hosokawa take in collaborating with the originators of fashion?

NIKE x READYMADE Blazer MID

Mr. Hosokawa chose Nike's first basketball shoe, the Blazer MID. The simple original design with no decoration has been updated with a crafty look by using upcycled materials typical of "readymade.

The upper and shoe tongue, a mix of different materials, are made of vintage fabric. The voluminous sole is made of "Nike Grind Material," which was created by recycling waste and old sneakers generated during the production process.

Other special arrangements are also found throughout, such as an elongated swoosh inspired by the design of earlier models and laces in three different colors.

With the theme of "DIY," we dismantled the Blazer from scratch by hand and reconstructed it so as not to destroy the original DNA of the Blazer. I wanted to challenge myself to see how far I could take a classic shoe that symbolizes the sport of basketball, which I have loved since childhood, and reincarnate it," says Hosokawa.

Craftsmanship in an unconventional design, this one will be released on Saturday, February 27. On a mild spring day, why not try on a pair of shoes that you can feel the warmth of human hands?