For the grand unveiling of Nike's KOBE 9 Elite Low HTM at the Internazionale del Mobile de Milan, the iconic brand created a grand floating structure and event space to emphasise the lightweight performance enabled by the basketball shoe.

A collaboration with sustainability designer Arthur Huang of Miniwiz, the super-strength, interconnected Flyknit mesh suspends a parachute which is anchored by nine futuristic capsules containing the shoes. The air balloon is lined with yarn, mimicking a huge knitted upper.

Stationed in Milan's dramatic Palazzo Clerici, the structure's design was inspired by the classical aerodynamics of Leonardo Da Vinci's triangular parachute and Alexandra Graham Bell's tetrahedral kite. Complementing this concept, a series of talks entitled 'On The Fly' invited designers to discuss the concept of weightlessness in design.

Nike has embraced art-meets-tech installations in recent years, for example, demonstrating their innovation credentials from the launch of the Nike Free to Hyperfeel.