Craft To Court: Nike x NorBlack NorWhite Drops Heat

" We want them to feel cool and collected through the colours," says Amrit Kumar, co-founder of NorBlack NorWhite who in a first-of-its-kind collaboration with Nike has launched a bold new line of sportswear for modern Indian women.

At the heart of the collection is bandhani, a tie-dye technique that dates back thousands of years in western India. Traditionally used to mark rites of passage and ceremonial dress, the technique is labor-intensive and involves hand-knotting and resist-dyeing to create microscopic, meticulous dot patterns.

Nike and NorBlack NorWhite

In NorBlack NorWhite’s hands, it becomes not a relic but a rhythm applied across Nike’s streamlined silhouettes: cropped hoodies, performance bras, bike shorts, and a quartet of sneaker styles including the Pegasus 41 and Air Max Craze. The pieces feel immediate, but they carry a lineage.

“Our NorBlack NorWhite journey started with a deep admiration for the crafts practices of India and the people who bring them to life,” says Mriga Kapadiya, the brand’s cofounder.

Nike and NorBlack NorWhite

“This collection shines a light on the rigor, dedication and ancestral knowledge that’s rooted in Indian culture, and we hope each piece inspires women to draw into their own athletic mindset while navigating everyday life in India and around the world.”

“Every dot tells a story,” Kapadiya adds. “When we apply these techniques to something as everyday as a workout tank, it’s not about nostalgia — it’s about bringing craft into people’s actual lives.”

That blending — of tradition with function, heritage with sport — is echoed in the campaign, which centers four Indian women athletes: wrestler Anshu Malik, sprinter Priya Mohan, and cricket stars Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma.

These are women who’ve carved space in arenas long dominated by men, often while navigating expectations that extend far beyond the track, pitch, or mat.

In one frame, Rodrigues stands in a bold, blue co-ord set, eyes fixed on the camera. “Wearing Nike that’s laced with Indian culture is a flex,” she says.

Nike and NorBlack NorWhite

“It’s bold, rooted, and ours.” It's a moment of assertion that feels almost subversive: not just representation, but reclamation.

Nike, a brand known for its global reach and forward-facing innovation, has dabbled in cultural collaborations before.

But rarely has it handed the reins so fully to a local voice, allowing NorBlack NorWhite not only to design but to direct the entire visual and conceptual narrative.

The result is a rare thing in corporate-brand storytelling: an offering that feels both global and deeply personal.