American sports apparel manufacturer Nike is honoring the Pima community of Arizona's Salt River by releasing a series of shoes that features the designs of O'dham tribe member Dwayne Manuel. The designs were inspired by Manuel's graffiti and drawings and shows traditional symbols like a war shield, according to Nike.
Manuel recently received his masters of fine arts from the University of Arizona. Together with Nike, the artist designed the Desert Journey Collection which was released along with the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.
According to Manuel, the designs reflect traditional O'odham heritage and way of life. One of the many products the sports Manuel's designs was an adjustable baseball cap that has a whirlwind and a war shield design on its lid, the design is similar to the artworks usually found on O'odham baskets. The cap is currently available at the Nike online store for $30.
Basketball superstar LeBron James was impressed by the Desert Journey Collection designs that he posted a photo of a Nike Air Vapor Untouchables sporting the native designs on his Facebook and Instagram account. The photo has already amassed more than 51,000 "likes."
Another shoe that features Manuel's designs is the Air Trainer 3 Premium. It has the whirlwind and war shield design and the shoes' tongue features the Man in the Maze design. All the shoes in the collection have the ubiquitous Nike Swoosh logo on it.
When asked about his inspiration for the design Manuel said, "Those traditional designs were ingrained in me growing up."
A Nike representative said that Manuel was chosen based on the recommendation made by the members of the Salt River community, according to Arizona Daily Star.