Hasta La Ideas

As the 2010 World Cup nears,
Nike gathered hundreds of journalists in London (CH included) last week to learn about their new soccer products and technology, helping to fan the flames leading up to one of the world’s most popular sporting events taking place this summer in South Africa. Held in the Battersea Power Station, a crumbling Art Deco building widely featured in album covers, film and TV, the site (not to mention Nike’s bunker-like build-out and other theatrics) made for a dramatic setting to launch the paraphernalia.

London’s photogenic ruins couldn’t compete with the star power of the sport’s best athletes however. An appearance by Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo, followed by nine players each representing their national team (along with one repping Nike’s newly-acquired company Umbro), brought the event to a fever pitch as media from all over the world clamored to get a word with the talented footballers.

Not to be overshadowed by the event itself, Nike emphasized their innovation-led approach to design with the Superfly II, a new self-adjusting-cleat version of their Mercurial Vapor, an app dubbed
Nike Soccer+ that lets you train like the pros, and the world’s first Considered jersey made from recycled bottles. For more detailed images and info, check out the slide show below.

Image of Nike CEO Mark Parker at the Summit via Freshness