Meet the Man Behind Nike's Coolest Sneakers

The leader of NikeLab opens up.

Fraser Cooke Nike
via Hypebeast

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Fraser Cooke Nike

by Brendan Dunne

Ah NikeLab, that source of avant-garde Swoosh designs, sought after collaborations, and incredibly frustrating sneaker releases.

The man at the head of it all is Fraser Cooke, currently serving as the global product director for NikeLab. Cooke, who has been with Nike for just over a decade now, is a London-born fellow who currently resides in Japan, a place that he praises plenty in a new interview with Hypebeast.

Cooke calls Japan, "the first place after New York City that really embraced sneakers and the roots of the special color/material edition phenomenon" and cites the nation as the first one to really show interest in retro shoes.

The Hypebeast interview includes a lengthy talk with Nike CEO Mark Parker on the nature of collaborations, a topic that Cooke chips in on too. Unsurprisingly, one his favorite Nike collabs from Japanese partner Jun Takahashi and his longstanding Gyakusou collection. Cooke mentions Riccardo Tisci in the same breath, championing his enthusiasm and emotional connection to Nike.

Check the full interview with Cooke here.