Nike SNKRS: The Return of the TN7

Working with Nike as a photographer was a dream come true. On the TN7 I wasn't only behind the camera, though. I was also the creative director, which meant I carried the project from the first idea to the final frame.

The creative director role started long before any shoot. Getting the TN7 approved had been a real fight on the Nike product strategy side. The work was building the case, defending the concept, and keeping the story intact as it moved through rooms full of people with other priorities. Once it was approved, the job became protecting Taquen's vision: making sure every decision about casting, location, styling and tone [add a specific choice here] served the shoe and the culture behind it, not a watered-down version made for everyone.

Then came the photography, which is where I get to be closest to the work. I didn't shoot the TN7 like a product sitting on a plinth. I shot it the way it lives on the street [describe your approach: light, framing, the people you photographed, film or digital]. Directing the vision and shooting it myself meant nothing got lost between the idea and the image. What I pictured in the pitch is what ended up on the screen.

Seeing it all land on SNKRS was the cherry on top. After an internal battle, bringing Taquen's vision to one of the biggest platforms in the game felt like confirmation that the fight was worth it. Projects that go from a hard-won yes to a global release, with your hands on both the strategy and the shutter, are rare. I don't take this one for granted.