Nike Puts an Outkast Crown on Georgia's Number 96 Jersey

Nike's Georgia x Outkast collection puts the number 96 on a Bulldogs football jersey and the word Outkast across the shoulders. The 96 points to 1996, the year Outkast released ATLiens, and the collection was built by Nike and Class Trip for the first Georgia Florida game played in Atlanta, set for October 31 at Mercedes Benz Stadium.

Outkast's own account placed the collaboration at Nike Lenox Square, the Buckhead store, with a Go Dawgs sign off. Nike's release names a wider footprint: SNKRS, Class Trip and select Atlanta Nike retailers for the first drop.

Jersey 96 Points at Two Stories

The 96 refers to 1996, the year Outkast released ATLiens. Nike's announcement also ties the year to Kirby Smart's time as a safety in Georgia's secondary, and Smart, now the Bulldogs head coach, said on Monday he thought the collaboration was a great idea.

That double meaning holds the collection together. A sports brand usually adds its mark to a team's mark. Here one number is a release year for an Outkast listener and a position group for a Georgia fan, so each reads the jersey a different way. ATLiens was the duo's second album, following Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik in 1994, and 2026 is its 30th anniversary year, which gives the number a second reason to be on a jersey now.

The script on the pieces reads "University of Georgia, Outkast 1996," and the Georgia G carries Outkast's crown. Sole Retriever also describes Big Boi and André 3000 cartoons in the artwork.

A Red Wool Varsity Jacket Cut From Two Wardrobes

The centerpiece is a red wool varsity jacket with black leather sleeves, chenille patches and chain stitch embroidery. Around it sit football jerseys numbered 96, rugby shirts, a satin bomber, fleece hoodies, graphic T shirts and caps.

Nike and Class Trip say the range was drawn from the personal style of André 3000 and Big Boi, so the references come from what the two wore over the years instead of from a team catalog. Wool body and leather sleeves is a classic varsity construction, and chenille patches with chain stitch embroidery are the hand finishing that separates a jacket from a licensed hoodie.

Nike's Swoosh traces back to a 1971 student design; in this collection the symbol getting the attention is a crown.

Oct 27, Oct 28, Oct 31: Three Dates, Three Doors

The first drop went live October 27 on SNKRS, at Class Trip and at select Atlanta Nike retailers, and the full collection followed October 28 on nike.com and at select retail locations. A game day pop up at Mercedes Benz Stadium is planned for October 31, when Georgia plays Florida in what Nike calls the first Georgia Florida game played in Atlanta.

The rollout runs in stages for a reason that shows in the market. A HotNewHipHop headline reported that the biggest pieces sold out fast, in a limited run where the jacket and the jersey are the obvious targets.

The Atlanta angle is also a record label angle. Atlanta's own football team has a similar play running: the Falcons and Outkast teamed up on an ATLiens 30th anniversary collection, per FOX 5 Atlanta. Two football programs in one state are now carrying the same album.

Eye Shields, Mouthguards and Gloves Carry the Crown Too

Complex calls the retail line Outkast U, a limited collection made for the Georgia and Florida game. Nike launched it with a campaign featuring Bulldogs athletes, per Yahoo Sports, so the players who wear the on field pieces also front the retail ones.

Nike and Class Trip also built on field gear for Georgia athletes, coaches and staff: eye shield decals, skullcaps, wristbands, mouthguards and gloves, all with Georgia and Outkast graphics. That moves the collaboration from the store rack to the sideline, where it will be on camera for the full game.

It is a tighter version of what other Nike football projects have done this season. Palace and Nike put a Manor Place crest on football kits, and the same weeks produced Futura's 100 piece Brewers World Series jacket for a baseball title. The common thread is a team identity handed to a designer or a musician, with a limited run.

In the Georgia version the clothing is drawn from the artists' wardrobes, the number comes from their album and the date comes from a rivalry game played in their home city for the first time. The one fact that no one else can replicate is the year stitched onto the jersey: 1996.