Echo-Hawk partners with Nike

Oklahoma artist joins NIKE to create Native inspired clothing

By Dana AttocknieEcho-Hawk, Pawnee and Yakama, created a live art painting Aug. 20 at the Nike Factory Store in Oklahoma City. The appearance was to help launch the new Nike N7 shoes and t-shirts that Echo-Hawk designed. The shirts reveal a Native American warrior holding a basketball; the warrior spirit, halted in a strike pose.

“It’s basically a series of paintings that celebrate Native American basketball,” Echo-Hawk said. “The painting that I created, that they based the shirts and the shoes off of, is called ‘triple threat’ … it’s a cool pose for Native people because it shows you have options, you can go places, you basically have control over your own destiny.”And:Sam McCracken, Nike N7 general manager, said he’s excited about the partnership with Echo-Hawk and feels they’ve created something unique.

“The intent of the collection is to raise awareness beyond Native American and Aboriginal communities for the N7 Program and the N7 Fund. This is the first time Nike has collaborated with an artist for the Nike N7 collection and it is the fourth release of product for the Nike N7 collection since it launched in November 2009,” a Nike N7 release stated.Comment:  I posted about Bunky and Nike before in Echo-Hawk's Nike N7 T-Shirt Design. Then it seemed he was doing only one shirt for Nike. Now we learn it's a whole partnership to create a line of shoes and shirts.

For more on the subject, see Echo-Hawk's Art Confronts Stereotypes and Obama Portrait Puts Echo-Hawk on Map.

Below:  "Bunky Echo-Hawk, Pawnee and Yakama, creates a live art painting Aug. 20 at the Nike Factory Store in Oklahoma City." (Randy Attocknie/Native Times)