words // Brennan Hiro Williams
Nike Sportswear introduces five limited edition Destroyer jackets for the holiday season, representing the cities of Miami, Philadelphia, Detroit, Oakland, and New Orleans. The City Destroyers pay tribute to the football traditions of the five locations, with each featuring city-specific imagery and color schemes.
The Miami City Destroyer features an orange color scheme, referencing the Dolphins and "The U." The back features a chain-stitched "Seventeen And Zero," referring to the Dolphins' undefeated season in 1972. The jacket will be available at Miami's Shoe Gallery.
The Philly City Destroyer uses an Eagles color scheme, and features visual references to the Revolutionary War, Declaration of Independence and the Liberty Bell. The jacket will be available at UBIQ's Walnut St. location.
The Detroit City Destroyer features part of Detroit's city motto, which is latin for "It shall rise from the ashes." The black colorway gives a nod to the city's punk and hardcore music scenes. The jacket will be available at Burn Rubber.
The Oakland City Destroyer, with it's old english lettering and black/white/silver color scheme, makes a straightforward connection with the hometown Raiders. A sword on the back points towards Oakland's geographic location in the state of California. The jacket will be available at Sheikh Southland.
The New Orleans City Destroyer uses a gold and black Saints colorway. It features several fleur-de-lis patches, making reference to the city's French and Creole influences, in addition to an embroidered gold clef referring to the city's jazz traditions. The jacket will be available at Sports Plus.
The number 51, present on all five jackets, is a reference to the late Bill Bowerman, who wore the number for the University of Oregon football team.
The City Destroyer Pack drops tomorrow, December 8, in limited quantities. There will only be eight jackets available per city, in addition to Nike's 21 Mercer (NY) and Montalbon (LA) locations both carrying eight of each.
