25 Years in the Swoosh Slipstream
Rosie Lee CreativeClent:
Nike
Adrian Fenech
Andy Walker
Bruno Garcia
Charlotte Dennis
Clive Ormerod
David Frank
Derrick Lee
Do Kim
Emma Thornton
Gary Kenchington
Jack Gold
Jamie McCall
Jonathan Palmer
Joeye Lee
Johnny Martinez
Kemi Benjamin
Liselotte Bierhoff
Maru Ceara-Cortinas
Matthew Jung
Sami Janjer
Sharon Tompkinson
Simon Lee
Steve Green
Steve Tsoi
Team:
Alex Nicol
Andrea Rueda
Annabel Innes
Digby Reed
George Lewin
Helen Stergios
James Nelson
Joe Malonry
Jospeph Ng
Joshua Dominguez
Julia Kuisma
Kateryna Gorbenko
Lung
Maike Borst
Maddalena Gioglio
Manuel Wyss
Mark Boyce
Marielle Simone Vargas
Matt Divitta
Matt Lampey
Mith Crook
Nichole Ricketts
Paul Ricketts
Poppy Newman
Rob Midson
Russell Clayton
Ryan Belmont
Sebastiano Testoni
Tim Fletcher
Tom Sebright King
Toni Deville
Toby Knight
Victoria Jenssonnie
Wai Lau
...And many more
When you're in their orbit, you learn fast. Their dynamic energy can feel chaotic, but it drives breakthroughs. That environment shaped us. You can’t stay still when they’re locked into a goal. Some of our most formative work came during moments where Nike had everything to prove—like when they stepped into the Premier League without any history to lean on. That opened the door to pure innovation. No legacy to protect, just forward motion.
There’s power in the swoosh. That graphic mark brings such weight and confidence, it lets you be visually daring. We used to say—if you could swap in another logo and the creative still worked, then it wasn’t good enough. That belief made the work sharper.
Many of the projects we’ve done with them wouldn’t pass a standard commercial test. But that’s not the point. They create cultural moments, shift perceptions, build loyalty. Some fail. Some become legend. All of it adds to what people call Nike lore.
Key Moments That Shaped Us
"The Ball Must Die" / Geo Merlin Vapor - A fictional goalkeeper's journal that launched our non-traditional storytelling approach.
Nike Eclipse - A giant suspended shoe installation at the 1948 store where each section revealed different technologies as customers moved around it.
Air Max 95 x Dave White / Wet Paint (2005) - Turning retail into a live studio with artist collaboration.
Arsenal's 1913-2006 - Football has a new home - Marking the emotional transition from Highbury with respectful yet future-facing creative.
Box Monsters / Brixton 6453 - To activate a store competition, we sent a gang of shoebox monsters into the world. It wasn't expected. That was the point.
Vintage Running - Capturing 1970s retail essence for Nike, Junya Watanabe and Comme des Garçons collaboration with weathered displays and enzyme-washed materials.
NSW Tee - Creating giant, playful sports landscapes entirely from t-shirts for Nike Sportswear relaunch across UK stores.
Come out in Force / World Basketball Festival - From shattered backboards to sculptural sneaker shrines, we turned a basketball celebration into a visual experience and epic archival display.
Nike Film House - Transforming Nike's London headquarters with three floors of distinct product heritage areas, working with leading illustrators and artists.
CR7 China Tour - Developing the visual centre for Cristiano Ronaldo's first solo Chinese promotional trip, celebrating his speed and 75 goals for Portugal.
Nike Unlimited / Shanghai 2016 - An ambitious blend of mobile brand experiences and digital diagnostics delivered through WeChat, backed by bold, unified design.
Air Max Day 2016 / Hong Kong - Hacking NIKEiD and creating rooftop experiences that drew global attention.
Off-White Launch (2017) - Making participation about creativity, not just hype.
BeTrue (2019) - A campaign rooted in human stories, created with care and pride, pushing visibility for LGBTQI+ athletes and their allies.
Just Go Bigger - Air Research Centre Air Max Day (2019) - A living, breathing experimental space in Beijing with gigantic illuminated bubbles creating theatrical displays for Air Max 720 launch.
The A'One / A'ja Wilson (2025) - Her first signature shoe campaign that felt like stepping into her mindset.
Culture, Characters, Community
It’s not just the brand—it’s the people inside it. You feel it in the offices. They celebrate their people and their athletes. The characters inside Nike help shape what the brand is. Every partnership, every project reflects that.
From our first Young Directors programme, to Run Dem Crew support, to hidden community work that barely makes a press release—Nike has a way of adding cool and credibility to grassroots energy without hijacking it. They play in the inspiration and aspiration space. Most brands don’t even try. Many can’t.
That culture comes alive in new ways now—more expressive, more reassuring. It’s athletes, communities, product innovation, and creative vision all pushing in sync.
What Doesn’t Make the Case Study
Of course, there are things we can’t share yet. Projects still under wraps. Ideas shaping new categories and partnerships. Work that supports the lead relationship teams behind the scenes. Some of our proudest waves haven’t broken yet.
And truthfully—sometimes the real value doesn’t sit in a deck. It’s in how relationships evolve, how ideas push each other, how unexpected energy creates new spaces.
Staying Human at Scale
As massive as the brand is, they’ve always struck me as profoundly human. With ambition. With quirks. With opinions that evolve. That human quality is what keeps things alive.
Athletes still want to be in Nike ads. Not just for money—but for what it means.
I’ve said in jest, “I wouldn’t wish Nike on my worst enemy.” Because to work with them, you have to meet them at their level. It sharpens you. If our shoot crews were footballers, they’d be on the same pitch as the athletes we film. If the athletes were creatives, they’d be in studios like ours. And frankly, many of the people inside the brand—from brand to creative to influencer marketing—could run their own agencies.
Even inside the machine, each category tries to stand out. Sometimes the noise competes. But when it syncs up—it amplifies globally and still resonates locally.
What It Really Means to Collaborate
25 years in, it’s never been about having a client. It’s about having a creative sparring partner.
One that pushes passion. Moves the conversation forward.
One that disrupts the space, creates new markets, and shapes new opinions.
One that doesn’t just participate in culture—but often sets it in motion.
That’s why it still works. And why there’s still more to come.