SERENA WILLIAMS DESIGN CREW 2021

At Nike, we believe diversity drives innovation.

In January 2020, we welcomed the inaugural Serena Williams Design Crew – 10 New York City-based Apprentices – to Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, OR, where they spent eight months working with NIKE, Inc.’s product design teams to produce a Serena-inspired footwear, apparel and equipment capsule collection. We are now looking for the next Serena Design Crew to design innovative Nike products that celebrate Serena's legacy under the direction of Nike Design leadership. This six-month apprenticeship is open to all qualified applicants from the Chicago area and throughout the Midwest. We’re excited to connect with a broad range of applicants through Midwest-based design institutions, community colleges and trade schools that cater to a diverse design demographic. We are looking for apprentices to fill the following roles: Footwear Design, Apparel Design, Material Design, Equipment Design, Apparel Color Design, Footwear Color Design, Apparel Graphics Design, Footwear Graphics Design and 3D Design.

Inspired by Serena's Relentless Pursuit of Greatness

Starting in June 2021, we will challenge 10 individuals to create a product line that pays homage to Serena's legacy and leverages a robust and specially curated experience with workshops, speaker and elevated moments along the way.

"It was so important to me to have diversity. I wanted to make sure that we had that representation to believe in my vision.”

- Serena Williams

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DEFY THE ODDS WITH SERENA WILLIAMS

You'll work with cross-functional teams to build genderless product lines from concept to creation and produce footwear, apparel and equipment designs that advance Nike's design image and product performance and that appeal to our consumers.

DESIGN AT NIKE

AT THE HEART OF NIKE, YOU’LL FIND OUR PEOPLE. FROM COLOR DESIGNERS IN BEAVERTON, TO RETAIL PLANNERS IN SHANGHAI AND RETAIL ATHLETES* IN THOUSANDS OF LOCATIONS WORLDWIDE, IT’S NEVER JUST ONE PERSON’S EFFORT TO REACH OUR GOALS — WE WIN AS A TEAM.

Nike brings together people from diverse backgrounds with a wide range of skill sets, mindsets and assets — and together, we make the impossible possible.

Artists + Inventors + Specialists

The design teams include artists, inventors, specialists and other creatives all with different focuses, including color and material experts, and apparel, footwear and graphic designers. Nike designers look to the future, audaciously pursuing materials, ideas and forms that further elevate the athlete experience, raise the bar for modern style and reduce environmental impact.

SERENA DESIGN CREW DISCIPLINES

WE SEEK TO ATTRACT A BROAD RANGE OF TALENT FROM THE CHICAGO AREA AND ACROSS THE MIDWEST. AS AN APPRENTICE IN THE SERENA DESIGN CREW, YOU WILL FOCUS IN ONE OF SEVEN DISCIPLINES BELOW – FOR BOTH IN-LINE WORK AND THE SERENA-INSPIRED COLLECTION.

Teamwork will be a prominent feature of your time at Nike as you produce a market-ready collection alongside nine other apprentices and our ultimate muse, Serena Williams.

HEAR THE VOICES OF THE NYC SERENA DESIGN CREW

Tireless teamwork, creative energy and expert storytelling prowess from all 10 of our apprentices came to fruition for the pinnacle of the program: the capsule collection presentation to Serena Williams herself. This genderless collection is set to launch in the fall of 2021. Meet the crew.

“Our goal was to bring all of Serena’s legacy to Nike. We wouldn’t want it to just be the chapters of her on the court, we wanted it to be all of her.”

VP, Global Creative Director Innovation, Design, Athletes

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NIKE DESIGN ETHOS

A behind the scenes exploration of Nike’s internal design philosophy, focused through five thematic chapters of performance, brand expression, collaboration, inclusive design and sustainability.

SERENA DESIGN CREW IN THE NEWS

Check out some past stories from the first NYC-based crew.

VOGUE / NIKE NEWS / BLEACHER REPORT

Serena Williams Launches a Design Apprenticeship With Nike

Let’s be honest, the ways in which we’d all like to be a little bit more like Serena Williams are too many to count: She is the world’s greatest tennis player; she is a businesswoman and a creative with a successful fashion brand; she’s an advocate for her community, unafraid to speak up and speak out...

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Serena Williams’ Next Nike Collections will be Led by NYC Design Apprentices

Serena Williams, a singularly influential voice across sport and fashion, is taking a new approach to her latest collections: Williams will collaborate with Nike to form a team of emergent New York City designers, who will create a range of Serena-inspired footwear and apparel throughout 2020...

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Serena Williams, Nike to Select and Coach Unique Sportswear Design Collective

Serena Williams is looking for some new partners, but as a quick glance at a calendar would suggest, she isn't looking for someone to join her on the tennis court...

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