Nike releases Alvar Aalto-inspired skate shoe designed by Jyväskylä firm

US sportswear giant Nike and Jyväskylä-based streetwear retailer Beyond are launching a collaborative skate shoe paying homage to architect Alvar Aalto, whose design language helped shape modern skate culture, Yle reports.

Beyond is the first Nordic store to secure a co-branded model with Nike SB, the company’s skateboarding line. The shoe was designed by Beyond CEO Juho Haapala and art director Janne-Juhani Hyvärinen, drawing on Nike’s classic white basketball sneaker.

The design incorporates Aalto’s signature aesthetic, with approval from the Alvar Aalto Foundation. The shoe will debut this week in Jyväskylä and Helsinki before an international release later in July.

Haapala, who has long envisioned the project, said Nike recognized the story’s global appeal. He noted that Aalto’s influence on skate culture traces back to the curved lines of Villa Mairea’s swimming pool in Pori, which inspired California’s empty-pool skateboarding in the 1970s.

Haapala declined to disclose production numbers but confirmed the model reflects Aalto’s legacy in Jyväskylä, a city defined by the architect’s work.