Nike “Rawdacious” Pack Celebrates Unity Through Sport

Jul 1, 2021

The world will soon be coming together in celebration of sport at the Tokyo Summer Olympics. To celebrate this unity through sport, Nike has created a “Rawdacious” colorway that will be incorporated in performance footwear products across various sports divisions: global football, basketball, track & field, and skateboarding. This color system creates a deep connection across all athletes, whether that athlete is running for gold or just around the block.

The “Rawdacious” colorway (a mashup of “Raw Audaciousness”) is an example of how Nike uses color to imbue deep cultural, psychological and emotional value in its footwear. “Color has the nuanced ability to invite both reaction and reflection at once,” says Martha Moore, Nike VP, Central Color Product Design. “You see a color, and you immediately react in a certain way. Color can also open the door to history, connections to other disciplines and to memory. In creating this year’s palette, we worked to consider color holistically to best represent a moment in time.”

Nike designers looked to historical precedent — moments in time when world events put sport on hold — and the spirit that flourished upon its triumphant return. The Rawdacious colorway symbolizes that exuberance of reuniting through sport in the palette’s warm tones, signaling new beginnings. White is used for the base to connote unity (it comprises all hues within the visible light spectrum) as well as a return to square one. Pink Blast, Total Orange and Bright Crimson accents act as a beacon to draw attention to the footwear’s technical components, such as the Zoom Air bags on Nike Running silhouettes.

The Nike Rawdacious colorway will dress select performance and lifestyle products, including the Nike GT Run, the Tiempo, Air Zoom Pegasus 38 (and FlyEase version), Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT%, and a pack of Nike SB models with Pollen as the primary color. These will release on nike.com throughout the summer. Check out the lineup below.

Nike GT Run “Rawdacious”
Release Date: Summer 2021