Sportswear
Sportswear photography has to do something most fashion work doesn't — keep up with an athlete actually performing. On Visie, that craft spans campaign and action photography for marques like Adidas, Puma, New Balance, and Under Armour, often shot at high shutter speeds to freeze motion mid-performance.
This week's top Sportswear projects
This week's top Sportswear projects, carefully handpicked by Visie's expert curators, showcase the best in style and innovation.
Reebok · Belmont Cameli
Reebok highlights its athletic footwear in this commercial spot, Belmont Cameli. The production centres on a dance rehearsal taking place on a theatre stage, featuring performers in athletic apparel and white sneakers executing precise choreography. Directed by Zachary Shea with cinematography by Natasha Abdul, the film channels a cinematic, low-key aesthetic. The visual narrative leans into chiaroscuro and moody lighting to emphasise footwork and rhythm, while the presence of a director in the audience frames the rehearsal environment. Creative direction for the campaign was provided by T. Abbo, with production led by Shotclock and talent Belmont Cameli performing in the lead role.
Project Nike · Nike Atelier
Nike Atelier explores the intersection of high-performance sportswear and editorial fashion photography. Featuring athlete Sha'Carri Richardson, the project centres on sculptural compositions and material contrasts, often utilizing low-key chiaroscuro lighting to emphasize the textures of technical mesh, crackled leather, and organic elements like ice. Photographer George Morris leads the visual execution, supported by art direction from Alice Lairy and Yarheine Lima. The production design, managed by Rosco Production, features environments constructed by Rachel Thomas Studio with makeup by Athena Paginton and hair styling by The Lace Bandit. The series maintains a consistent focus on raw, desaturated palettes and clean, monochromatic portraiture.
Project On · Zendaya
On presents a campaign featuring Zendaya that highlights the intersection of performance sportswear and urban architectural aesthetics. The project is directed by Spike Jonze with cinematography by Jasper Wolf, utilizing a desaturated palette and natural light to emphasize the raw textures of industrial concrete and moody, overcast settings. Fashion styling and creative direction by Law Roach inform the look, featuring technical anoraks, patterned athletic track sets, and lightweight performance wear. The imagery relies on live-action technique and analogue film textures, framing the talent in dynamic, candid motion against expansive cityscapes and minimalist, sculptural backdrops.
Project Adidas · Adidas x Lionel Messi: La Última
Adidas presents "La Última," a sports fashion campaign featuring athlete Lionel Messi. The project captures the athlete in a series of vertical portraits, balancing commercial sportswear aesthetics with an editorial approach. Photographed by Diego Bendezu, the work utilizes moody, low-key lighting and a rich blue color palette to frame the subject. The imagery alternates between studio portraits against desaturated, textured backgrounds and compositions incorporating the Argentine national flag. These shots highlight technical apparel details, including soccer jerseys and tracksuits, through a mix of clean, natural light and directional, high-contrast studio setups.
Project footballer Désiré Doué · Brand Identity
This brand identity project explores the intersection of professional sport and bespoke tailoring for footballer Désiré Doué. Conceived as an exploration of the Nike Atelier, the imagery documents the technical process, from fabric measurement and marking to the final construction of garments. The visual approach relies on high-contrast monochrome and clean, minimalist studio settings to emphasize material textures and structural details. Techniques including long-exposure motion blur and low-key chiaroscuro lighting are utilized to create a dynamic, backstage atmosphere that contrasts with the static, editorial focus on apparel and footwear. Design by Convoy.
Adidas · The Ants
Adidas presents 'The Ants,' a cinematic commercial project that anchors its narrative within the atmospheric confines of a classic, wood-paneled billiard room. Directed by Alessandro de Leo, the film captures the interplay between character and setting, featuring appearances by Kimi Antonelli and Anthony Edwards. Creative direction by Demetrio Chirico and Alessandro Pomè utilizes warm tungsten interior lighting and natural light to emphasize the textures of the space, from vintage newspapers to the green felt of the tables. Director of photography Andrea Gavazzi employs a grainy, analogue film aesthetic to define the project's visual identity, grounding the sportswear brand in a highly tactile and intimate environment.
MERRELL, YMC · Kite!
The Merrell x YMC collaboration, titled Kite!, presents an outdoor sportswear campaign centered on a quiet, contemplative exploration of movement within a natural landscape. The film moves through a sprawling grassy meadow, where subjects engage with the environment under an expansive, overcast sky. Directed by Alexander Ingham Brooke, who also served as director of photography, the project utilizes a raw, cinematic aesthetic. Art direction by Yachub Webb and creative direction by Sage Toda-Nation anchor the visuals, which leverage a grainy texture and natural lighting to emphasize the tactility of the outdoor setting and the technical garments in motion.
Nike · Play With Fire
Nike’s 'Play With Fire' campaign features a cinematic commercial spot directed by Arno Salters and shot by cinematographer Kai Saul. The film captures athlete Carlos Alcaraz on an indoor tennis court, accompanied by artist Travis Scott, who appears in the umpire chair. The production leans into a moody aesthetic, utilizing low-key lighting and chiaroscuro techniques to heighten the atmosphere. This live-action work was produced by Iconoclast TV with creative development led by agency Wieden+Kennedy Portland.
Jacquemus x Nike · Moon Shoe
The Moon Shoe campaign by Jacquemus x Nike explores the intersection of high-fashion sensibility and classic athletic performance. Captured by photographer Oliver Hadlee Pearch, the project oscillates between intimate, sculptural studio portraiture and candid, movement-driven scenes set in sunlit suburban environments and traditional dance studios. Styling by Jay Massacret emphasizes a layered, textured approach to sportswear, pairing technical fabrics with precise silhouettes, while hair styling by Christine Nelli maintains a polished, athletic aesthetic throughout. The visual language favors a blend of high-contrast monochrome studio shots and warm, natural light compositions that highlight the collection’s tactile details and form.
Project Various Campaigns · HOKA CLIFTON UTL A/W 26 Campaign
The HOKA Clifton UTL A/W 26 campaign merges high-performance athletic footwear with contemporary urban tailoring. Photographed by Ivana Micic, the visuals lean into a clean, minimalist aesthetic, placing the product within architectural transit settings and elevated outdoor pedestrian corridors. The campaign features models in a series of layered, relaxed silhouettes—ranging from oversized tailoring to structured utility wear—juxtaposed against tiled subway platforms and city landscapes. Captured in natural light, the imagery emphasises the intersection of functional design and modern lifestyle, utilising a muted palette of teal, beige, and charcoal to highlight the sneaker's versatile silhouette. The execution leans on editorial portraiture to ground the footwear within a metropolitan context.
Project Nike · Nike Studio Fleece
Nike spotlights its Studio Fleece apparel in this commercial campaign featuring entertainer Bad Gyal. The project highlights a collection of beige, earth-toned fleece zip-up hoodies and matching sweatpants, shot within a combination of office and dance studio environments. Photographers Gus&Lo lean into a clean, modern aesthetic, utilizing natural light and mirrored surfaces to capture multiple perspectives of the apparel. The imagery focuses on the textures of the sportswear, emphasizing a coordinated, lifestyle-oriented look across both solo and group compositions.
Project Alo · Faces of Fall
Faces of Fall is a fashion campaign for Alo that captures the brand’s sportswear collection through a series of editorial outdoor portraits. Photographed by Hans Neumann, the imagery leans into a clean and polished aesthetic, utilizing natural light to highlight the textures and silhouettes of the activewear. Featuring models Daiane Sodre and Mary Chuykova, the project is set against a blend of modern architectural backdrops and serene garden spaces. The work focuses on a warm, minimalist approach, incorporating casual movement and fluid styling to present the seasonal range.
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