Fa'avae Fa'avae, owner of luxury streetwear brand Island Avenue based out of Southern California, continues to make waves in the apparel industry as he launches a collaboration project with Nike.
“I believe if we're ever going to do a Polynesian inspired shoe, it should pay homage to our Pasifika ancestors who were the first ocean navigators of the world.”
Through networking, learning business models, trusting divine timing, and dream casting, Fa'avae Fa'avae is pioneering his way to be one of the first Polynesians to collaborate with a well known Fortune 500 company, Nike. As he built his own brand Island Avenue, and landed his work in stores such as Nordstrom, his years of expertise and building relationships led to an opportunity to create Nike's first Polynesian inspired Air Force 1.
“I dreamed about this moment.”
On track to release this year, Fa'avae Fa'avae and his team are looking forward to making their dreams turn into reality. The Pasifika community can look forward to adding the timeless capsule wardrobe piece of Air Force 1's into their wardrobe, as it will represent our Pacific Islander heritage.
Fa'avae Fa'avae found inspiration to connect two worlds — everyday streetwear and Pasifika ancestry — into a statement piece we can represent everyday. The Air Force 1's are inspired by the va'a, or canoe, and are meant to pay homage and tell a story of our ancestors being the ocean's first navigators.
“I believe our ancestors will be proud — mainly because I believe that those were sacrifices that they made that this is what they wanted for us. Sacrifice of them, going through what they went through for us to migrate from the South Pacific and chase after this — the American dream!”
Set to launch in 2024, be on the lookout for the Island Avenue x Nike Air Force 1 collaboration in the upcoming months.
Paisley Palmtrees Collection
Keep an eye out for Island Avenue's summer line, the Paisley Palmtrees collection.
Images provided by the featured individuals or sourced from their public social media profiles and online platforms. All rights remain with the original creators. Originally published in PMN+ Magazine, June 2024 (Vol. 1 No. 2).
June 2024 · Digital Magazine
