When Nike Sportswear at 21 Mercer Street opened in SoHo, New York, the glitterati on the guest list included Serena Williams, Spike Lee, Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, Travis McCoy, and Urban Evolutions’ 3 1/4-inch maple with original patina reclaimed from American Tobacco.
Used for the wall, floor, and display treatments, our reclaimed maple wood, from American Tobacco’s Greenville, North Carolina, facility stood by with a stately Southern dignity as rappers and Wimbledon champions came together — in a rare display of modern kismet — at a common ground that must surely rival a Greenwich Village studio apartment in landmass — the feting of fashionable quality footwear.
Ah, but everyone from DJ and sneakerfreak Bobbito Garcia (aka DJ Cucumberslice, Boogie Bob, Kool Bob Love, Bobbito the Barber) (pictured) to Katy Perry to nine-time Grand Slam champ Serena Williams loves the Earth. Our maple stood in quiet testimony to Nike’s abiding concern for the environment and dedication to green materials.
And while public smoking has become hopelessly déclassé in NYC’s trendiest borough, the industry’s effects have at last given a healthy, eco-friendly glow to the local shoe-selling concern.
It was a great night, and we’re proud to have been a part of it. A much-deserved thank you goes out to Nike and the celebrities who attended.
For a second look at the event, go here and here.
