Kallmeyer is gearing up for the US Open with a new sneaker collaboration with Nike.
In their first product launch together, designer Daniella Kallmeyer reimagines the Nike Centre tnnis shoe silhouette in a custom colorway called “Travertine” and features elements of suede, leather and antique brass with the hope of developing a patina over time.
“My relationship with Nike started a couple of years ago, and we bonded over the love and enthusiasm for women’s sports,” Kallmeyer told FN in an interview. “And for this project, Nike came to me saying that they wanted to revive this iconic silhouette as the interest in tennis has been on the rise and they wanted to make the Centre culturally relevant again.”
Kallmeyer noted that the idea was to make the Centre, which is originally created as a tennis performance shoe, and turn into a lifestyle sneaker. “It felt very befitting for us to bring that silhouette into the wardrobe, like in in the most Kallmeyer language we could,” the designer said.
Some key details that standout for Kallmeyer in her iteration of the shoe are a hand done stitch around the back of the heel, a custom paisley gold and black logo tag on the inside of the shoe and an antiqued brass deubrés on the laces.
The Nike x Kallmeyer Tennis Centre.
Courtesy of Kallmeyer
And even with the elevated treatments on the shoes, Kallmeyer encourages everyone to wear the style with love.
“Some people sometimes shy away from white clothes or white shoes, but in the world of Kallmeyer, the more you wear your clothes, the more you honor them,” the designer noted. “With this shoe, as it ages and wears over time is how you collect memories. So, I want people to feel encouraged to wear them and create their own story from that.”
The Nike x Kallmeyer Tennis Centre.
Courtesy of Kallmeyer
To celebrate the launch, tennis star Amanda Anisimova and Salon 94 founder Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn appear in a campaign photographed by Collier Schorr at the historic Vanderbilt Tennis Club inside Grand Central Terminal. Anisimova and Greenberg Rohatyn are styled in Kallmeyer ready-to-wear alongside the new shoe.
The Nike x Kallmeyer Tennis Centre, which retails for $160, is now available at Nike, Kallmeyer, the SNKRS app, Shopbop, Net-a-Porter and FWRD.
The Nike x Kallmeyer Tennis Centre.
Courtesy of Kallmeyer