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Nike’s Latest Release Quietly Teases a Massive Brand Pivot. But Will It Stick?

The new 24.7 collection may seem like business as usual, but a few key details also hint at a surprising new priority for the sportswear brand.

The arm of a Nike sweatshirt in the brands 24.7 collection shown on a model standing in profile against a dark blue backgroundNike

By Ben Bowers

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Even the most eagle-eyed Wall Street analyst could be forgiven for overlooking Nike’s new 24.7 collection launch. Many of the collection’s elements read like a fresh page from the same old apparel strategy playbook.

At the highest level, the new collection of modern monotoned sweatshirts, sweatpants, quarter zips, shirts, pants, and skirts mostly resembles clothing Nike has made in some fashion before.

Yet Nike states that this collection delivers a “new standard of comfort and athletic style,” thanks in part to two new materials it developed.

But some intriguing word choices and other subtle details surrounding the announcement tease that a bigger change within the brand might be underway – assuming the brand’s newly appointed CEO is onboard.

Here’s everything you need to know about the new line and its potentially massive implications for the biggest sportswear brand on the planet.

24.7 Is Nike’s Latest Push Into Elevated Athleisure Apparel

A male model wearing a navy colored quarter zip sweat shirt and pants from Nike’s 24.7 clothing collection. He is facing forward in the image and shown from head to toe. The background consists of an empty room with a black wall and light floor.
Nike has previously sold dark colored sweat shirts with minimal branding and even technical chinos pants in the past, which is why it’s easy to dismiss the new 24.7 collection as part of the same old strategy.
Nike

Nike has made traditional sweatshirts, sweatsuits, and loungewear with brand logos and slogans seemingly forever.

In 2013, the brand also introduced a more performance-minded and technically styled take on the garment, a.k.a. Tech Fleece, which quickly evolved into a core component of Nike’s apparel lineup year after year.

Nike likewise sells plenty of other apparel that’s a stretch to call athletic wear, much of which falls under the company’s Sportswear sub-label.

The new 24.7 collection is, in many ways, a mashup of all of these existing product strategy lanes.

A female model wearing a cream white button up shirt from Nike’s 24.7 clothing collection. She is sitting down with her legs positioned in front. her right elbow is sitting against her right knee, propping her hand against her neck. The cream shirt is opened and unbuttoned except for the top button. The model is wearing a black sports bra and dark pants underneath.
Though most of Nike’s new 24.7 collection consists of familiar-looking sweats, a few pieces, like the 24.7 PerfectStretch Dri-Fit Oversized Long-Sleeve shirt for women, feel very distinct.
Nike

As Nike’s global general manager for women’s training, Jaclyn Safley sums it up: “Nike Training is dedicated to supporting all athletes to be better — whether for sport or life. The Nike 24.7 collection embodies this commitment, delivering unmatched innovation with performance materials, ultimate comfort and an elevated fit thoughtfully crafted for every body and every move.”

Nike states the 24.7 collection’s key innovations stem from two new technical materials conveniently named to summarize their benefits.

The so-called ImpossiblySoft fabric is described as a spacer-knit fabric that offers four-way stretch with a “luxurious feel” for more traditional sportswear-style garments.

PerfectStretch is the other material offering four-way stretch, though with a “polished look and feel” that’s more suited to garments not traditionally associated with sports these days, like chinos and skirts.

A close up of the belt and right pocket area of khaki pants included in Nike’s 24.7 collection. The pants are light tanned color. A darker Nike Swoosh with a 24.7 logo are visible right behind on the back edge of the pocket.
Tonal 24.7 branding helps distinguish the new line from Nike’s other apparel lines.
Nike

The collection is labeled and organized using the two new materials the items are made with.

The PerfectStretch subset includes several different styles of men’s and women’s pants, as well as a woman’s oversized long-sleeve shirt. The ImpossiblySoft items include several different sweatshirt tops and bottoms.

All items feature tonal 24.7 branding and heat-pressed product tags featuring Nike’s Total Orange stripe.

The Collection Emphasizes a Strikingly Different Priority for Nike

A male Asian model shown wearing a grey quarter zip sweat shirt and tan chino pants that are part of Nike’s 24.7 collection. The man is shown seated on the ground with his legs in front. One leg is pulled closer to his body, while the other is extended and resting an angle. The man’s left arm and elbow are resting on his knee. He is staring directly ahead into the camera. The background is dark grey. The floor is light white. Nike

Terms like Athleisure and Activewear have been a staple of global style vernacular for so long that one of the best skewerings of the trend to go viral on the internet is now almost a decade old.

While many definitions of the term abound, The New York Times writer Vanessa Friedman did a better job than most by describing it as “a certain sartorial value system that places comfort and functionality, as expressed in workout clothing, on the same level as style.”

Like any established brand in the sportswear space, Nike’s naturally benefitted from the shift in consumer preference. Unlike many of its competitors, however, the company rarely, if ever, deviated from pushing performance as the reason to buy its wares above all else.

“Comfort” certainly wasn’t touted openly as a key area of brand focus, even if it was implied as a necessary factor for making athletes perform at their best.

Just last year, Nike produced an entire commercial campaign for its running line centered around the tagline “Winning Isn’t Comfortable.“

Nike Running launched a dedicated ad campaign in 2024 highlighting just how at odds comfort and performance can be in athletic pursuits.

This is where the 24.7 line most distinguishes itself from Nike’s previous forays into athleisure apparel. The press release headline mentions the first goal as “a new standard of comfort.” Dina Asher-Smith, the professional sprinter interviewed as part of the 24.7 line announcement press release, also led her comments by mentioning, “the fabrics feel and look soft and luxurious, and the tonal branding is beautiful.”

To be fair, the word performance does appear twice in the release, too, but not in a way that implies Nike believes anyone will perform their best in athletic pursuits while wearing 24.7 items.

A black male model wearing a sweat shirt and khaki pants from Nike's 24.7 collection. He is shown standing and looking to the left. A skateboard is propped on the ground balanced under his hand. Nike

What’s potentially even more revealing, though, isn’t found in the press release.

After clicking a few links for more information on the new clothing, consumers will likely find the 24.7 collection showcased on a dedicated webpage hub with a clear and simple address: Nike.com/comfort.

Further digging can also reveal another collection page on Nike’s retail site labeled 24.7 collection. This page lists all of the new apparel pieces from the new line alongside various other well-known Nike products that have always felt more lifestyle than performance-oriented, including the Killshot—which even J. Crew has sold directly at times.

A women shown from behind wearing a dark brown quarterzip with her hands on her hips. The image highlights the baggy fit of the sweatshirts.
Beyond materials, the fits of the new 24.7 collection are intentionally roomy for comfort while staying in line with current fashion trends.
Nike

Does this hint that Nike foresees 24.7 as an eventual catch-all sublabel for products prioritizing style and comfort over the brand’s core performance ethos? Possibly.

Then again, any conclusion drawn from something as tedious as how a massive retail website is organized should be taken with a grain of salt.

Case in point: https://www.nike.com/w/comfort-9fqq6 includes a page of Nike items that have apparently been tagged as “Cozy Wear” by someone managing the company’s retail listings, but the new 24.7 collection is nowhere to be found on it.

Comments by Nike’s New CEO Suggest Though That 24.7 Could Be a Outlier

This is a portrait of Nike CEO Elliot Hill smiling with his mouth open, looking to the right. Hill is wearing a dark grey overshirt over a grey sweatshirt with a Nike Swoosh. Blurred trees appear around him in the background.
Eric Hill was officially announced as Nike’s new CEO in the fall of 2024. He’s a 30+ year veteran of Nike and has publicly stated that the company has always been at its best when it’s focused on sport.
Nike

Despite the recency of the 24.7 collection news, there’s a chance the project is simply a remnant of what will soon be a bygone era for the company instead of a harbinger for future strategy shifts.

In September 2024, Nike announced that its then-CEO John Danahoe was stepping down, concluding a brief but tumultuous tenure for the executive who had previously held positions as the CEO of eBay and ServiceNow before joining Nike.

Danahoe was replaced by Elliott Hill, a longtime Nike employee who worked for over 30 years at the company and came out of retirement to assume the new leadership role.

The early sound bites provided by Nike about Hill’s new focus were clear: “Nike’s at its best when we’re celebrating the passion and emotion of sport. Nike’s at its best when we’re listening to the voice of the athlete. Nike’s at its best when we’re creating innovative, coveted, beautiful products,” Hill stated.

In a recent interview with Fortune Magzine, Nike CEO Eric Hill clarified why he believes focusing on sport is the key to the brand’s recovery.

In a recent video and written interview with Fortune Magazine just last week, Hill echoed the same statements.

“I think sport is the core of what we’re all about,” Hill remarked during his interview with Fortune Magazine. “We lost our obsession with sport. Moving forward, we will lead with sport and put the athlete at the center of every decision.”

Of course, whether these statements directly imply that products specifically focused on comfort are no longer part of Nike’s future vision is a matter of interpretation.

A pair of Nike 24.7 ImpossiblySoft Men's Dry-Fit pants in light tan being worn on a model whose knees are bent.
Another signal that Nike may be focusing more on comfort moving forward revolves around a new Nike.com/comfort. hub page on the company’s retail site that currently showcases only the 24.7 collection.
Nike

Should products focused specifically on comfort be considered anti-sport? At least some language is included in the 24.7-line press release positions the new apparel line as still simpatico with Hill’s clear priorities.

“From sport to life. From mindset to movement. From the daily grind to daily comfort. Nike exists to serve athletes who bring the same energy and focus to everything they do — and need apparel that can keep up, around the clock.

A black male model wearing a royal blue colored quarter-zip top. He model is shown looking forward but slightly turned to the side. The quarter-zip is zipped down. The background is royal blue.Nike

That vision is central to the new Nike 24.7 apparel collection, which is designed to support the athlete’s complete lifestyle, redefining sport style with an elevated, polished look.”

Whether Elliot Hill believes serving the athlete’s “complete lifestyle” is part of the company’s new sports focus remains to be seen. Other athleisure brands like Lululemon will definitely be keeping a close eye though on his decision-making throughout the rest of 2025 and beyond, though.

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