Drake has been teasing some extra special with Nike for a while now. Following the release of his Certified Lover Boy album merch, Drizzy has this week announced his new Nike sub-label, NOCTA.
NOCTA is a direct reference to Drake's nocturnal creative process. To announce the collection, the Toronto rapper has penned a letter that delves into the spirit of the project.
Drake began the piece by expressing his profound affinity for Nike from an early age, being obsessed with everything Swoosh-related, including those who were endorsed by the sportswear brand.
"I remember watching all these athletes repping Nike — each doing the unthinkable — and how inspiring it was," he said. "I always felt like there was an opportunity for Nike to embrace an entertainer the same way they had athletes. I thought about how crazy it would have been and what it would have meant for an artist to have a flagship Nike deal."
More recently, musicians especially have been welcomed into the fold by various athletic companies. From Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, and Beyoncé at adidas, to Travis Scott and Drake at Nike, Rihanna and Big Sean at PUMA, the list goes on and on. Drake has entered rarified air, however, getting his own sub-label with the world's most reputable sportswear brand.
According to Champagne Papi, NOCTA is all about comfort and functionality, designed for those on the move.
"But as much as it’s about what we make, it’s also about a mindset: an unforgiving drive, a relentlessness. Characterized by the type who are on the road all day, all night — the grinders, the hard workers — trying to accomplish their goals and taking no short cuts," he added.
By drawing from the culture he grew up with, NOCTA is striving to make "the hardest jacket, the hardest tracksuit, the hardest gloves. Just the best of that world," Drake proclaimed.
The first NOCTA pieces will be available globally beginning December 18.
