John Elliott and Lebron James are back. The collaborators have announced the second capsule in their ongoing three-part collaboration, which is due out later this month. For this drop, the duo is taking their basketball-inspired lifestyle brand to the coast. The highlight of the collection is the Icon QS sneaker. The full capsule also includes hoodies and long-sleeve tees in both khaki and jade and the heritage 86 hat in iron grey.

These earthy tones were inspired by Elliott’s youth. “The story for our current season is rooted in the idea of a ‘dream home,’ which for my mom and our family was a coastal ranch house in Northern California,” said Elliott. The color schemes in the latest collection represent the foggy horizon where the sea meets the rocky California coast.

The collection launches on October 9^th at 10 AM ET. Set your alarms now.

VMAN spoke exclusively to Elliott to learn more about the collection and his continued collaboration with Lebron.

 

V: How do you approach combining sportswear and runway when designing.  How do you bring the two together but still create a distinctly fashion dialogue?

John Elliott: Whether my approach is for the runway or intended to be more commercial, I’m always trying to design with purpose; to create something that’s filtered through a lens that will speak to the season’s theme. Typically, when you’re working in preparation for a runway show, a stylist isn’t necessarily looking at the racks with the distinction of runway and commerciality, the two get combined. I think that’s the way people dress these days, they’re mixing conceptual pieces with more wearable essentials. Having that balance in your collection is necessary. Each piece should have intention and adhere to a system of dressing. As long as you’re developing through the lens of what the brand is intending for the season, and you’re creating something new, with interesting textures and processes, it might also be appropriate to show on the runway.

V: Your current season follows the ideas of a ‘dream home.’ What is the meaning of home to you and how does that shine through the collection?

JE: For me, a home is a place that’s built over time. It’s typically a reflection of yourself; who you are and who you aspire to be. It’s the juxtaposition of nostalgic items from the people who raised you, with items that echo who you want to be, where you want to go, and what makes you feel good. It should have materials, colors, and a setting that makes you feel alive.

I tried to think of this collection through the lens of my mom, this idea of a coastal ranch home, as a concept, was a manifestation of her dream home. She’s a first-generation Italian, her mother immigrated from Italy and lived in a ranch home in Northern California. There’s a lot of my grandmother in this collection, too. I used a wallpaper from her house as a custom jacquard print, which walked in the show. We custom dyed yarns and embroidered them together to represent throws that were inherited from my grandparents’ house. We reproduced packing blankets and turned them into a needle punched wool as heavy outerwear. The color palette is inspired by Northern California, where I’m from. All the developments were created through the lens of this area, a region defined by cold water, heavy waves, cliffs affected by wind, and rolling forests, all blanketed by fog.

V: How was the experience of working with LeBron James?

JE: Working with LeBron James, in a literal sense, is an adrenaline rush. The magnitude of this opportunity was apparent from the moment we began to conceptualize the collection all the way through to the launch. I approached it, specifically the design of the shoe, with attention and intensity. I wanted to create something that spoke to LeBron’s Nike lineage and connected to our brand, but more than anything, that felt new. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime, so you treat it with great respect.

V: What’s different about how an athlete like himself approaches a creative project like this?

JE: LeBron’s in a place with his career where he’s established as one of the greatest athletes of all time, and definitely the most important of his generation. When you ascend to that level, you become comfortable with your convictions. And when you know yourself well, working on a project becomes easier. That’s what made this a success. He was influential in not only the design of the final products but the more minute details, like what colorways got produced. He’s been a champion of our brand, and in a sense, executive produced this project. LeBron’s so multifaceted as a person, that when you work with him closely, you realize it doesn’t really matter if he were an athlete, CEO, or politician, he would handle any one of those professions at the highest level. He approaches life by surrounding himself with smart people who have a high taste level, and expect an incredible amount of output, but have fun doing it. You want to soak up every minute you’re around LeBron because he’s so different than the majority of people on the planet.

V: You say that the shoe was not an easy project, that it required a lot of trial and error. Can you share some of the challenges you faced?

JE: At the outset of this project, we were tasked with doing a new iteration of an existing silhouette, more of a color up and play on materials. However, we pivoted from what the shoe was going to be about halfway through the design process, and instead of trying to develop into an existing silhouette, we went left with it. It was at this point we started to develop a new way of thinking about the actual end product, and in a sense gave ourselves fewer restrictions. As a result, we came up with a concept that was new. As the project began to unfold, Nike was supportive throughout the process. They were an incredible thought partner, allowing us to tap into their innovation. As a collaborator, being able to create a new silhouette with an athlete of the stature of LeBron James, in retrospect it’s crazy Nike allowed us to do that.

V: Do you have a favorite piece from the ICON collection?

JE: Obviously, it’s the shoe. I love how it’s connected to our brand’s ethos and allows for a modular approach to dressing. Through the use of a transparent upper, there’s interaction with the sock you choose to wear. I’m proud of the way we were able to layer the upper with embroidery (which references lines on a court) and incorporate that element on the tooling of the LeBron 8 – which is my favorite silhouette. Besides the sneaker, the hoodie is a standout. When designing the apparel, I tried to look at moments where I connected with LeBron. Before I knew him personally, I remember rooting for him as he played with team USA, and they won the gold. After the competition, he continued to wear the Team USA tracksuit. It had this rib with a color reveal. I knew I wanted to incorporate that in this collection because it harkened back to a time he was having fun as a world citizen and was also at the top of his game. We have that material running down the center back of the hoodie. It works as a comfort stretch rib, and also adds a design element.

V: What do you find most rewarding as a designer?

JE: The most rewarding moment for me is when you get a sample back. When you have an idea and finally get to experience it in three dimensions, that moment of excitement is worth more than money. It’s the reason we do this.

V: Did you have a favorite pair of shoes growing up? Do they ever affect your current designs? Does that incorporate into the idea of the ‘dream home’?

JE: Growing up, I loved the Air Jordan 1, it’s such a classic design. That silhouette was and still is meaningful socially. Stepping into a gym in a new town or city, you instantly had social currency that would give you credibility taste-wise. Pre-internet, that was a constant. The hypothesis with John Elliott is to create a trend resistant wardrobe for men and women, that’s made well and will last the test of time. That’s very much rooted in the same ethos the AJ1 or even the Air Force 1 encapsulates.

V: Describe Lebron James in one word. Why?

JE: Icon. LeBron has this saying, “More than an athlete.” Especially in the times we’re living in now, people need high profile examples of men and women who are at the pinnacle of culture and have a megaphone that can instantly reach a huge audience, and are trying to do good and right by the world. People fell in love with LeBron because of his talents on the court, but they’ve grown to respect him because of what he’s done in the world – with his schools in Ohio, the NCAA bill in California, Nipsey Hustle foundation, and with the way he’s turned his lifelong friends into moguls being a few examples. As someone who’s about to have their first child, he’s a role model as a great dad and husband as well.

V: What would you say this collaboration represents? How has the project evolved from the first iteration?

JE: Within LeBron’s lineage at Nike, he has a signature shoe for the court. That’s what he works in, grinds in, wins championships and MVP awards in. Then he has the Soldier, which is worn by a crew of guys he respects in the NBA. Often times several guys in his own team will wear that shoe. To me the ICON fills another bucket, it’s a representation of LeBron’s art collection, off the court. I’m honored to be the design collaborator who set the tone for what his art room, so to speak, is going to look like.

V: What would you say connects your footwear designs with the aesthetic of your clothing?

JE: The modular approach, the idea of wearing multiple pieces together that work as a system. The Icon collection, the shoes and apparel, were meant to be worn together, to be one full look for the playoffs. The goal of John Elliott, as a brand, is to be worn together and timeless. I apply these same principals, a modular system of layering, with minimal branding, to my footwear designs.