JAKARTA (ANN): World-famous sports brand Nike met Indonesian instant noodle icon Indomie in an unlikely crossover as a colorful fan design of the Air Jordan 1 Yin Yang recently became a social media sensation.
In several Instagram photos originally posted by a Mr. Simply Custom, or @mr.s.custom, the retro Nike footwear, which originally came in only white and black, can now be seen sporting an entirely new color palette consisting largely of red, yellow and green – a tribute to the three main colors featured on Indomie’s original plastic wrap for its Mie Goreng (fried noodles) flavor.
Additionally, Nike’s instantly recognizable Swoosh is now accompanied by the Indomie logo, alongside subtle shape outlines that resemble the curly noodles themselves.
Capturing the youthful energy of both Nike enthusiasts and Indomie obsessives, the eye-popping design also boasts a cheeky slogan that reads ‘Micin Generation’, a reference to the popular internet meme that pokes fun at the millennials’ affinity for Indomie’s liberal use of monosodium glutamate (MSG) in its dry seasoning powder.
At the time of writing, the custom Indomie Nike design by Mr. Simply Custom has garnered more than 5,000 likes on Instagram, as well as a slew of approving tweets.
Mr. Simply Custom is the online alias of Jonathan “Jonas” Gustana, a 23-year-old Indonesian university graduate based in Singapore who initially customized sneakers with hand-drawn art as a personal hobby.
Jonas said he never expected his side project to be regarded as anything more than a tongue-in-cheek display of creativity.
“For the Indomie custom design, I was actually inspired by a Photoshop rendition posted by @arifwhy on Instagram a week ago. I merely brought his design to life,” Jonas told The Jakarta Post on the phone on Tuesday.
He said he immediately got in touch with @arifwhy to ask permission to use the design for a physical pair of Air Jordans.
“I just thought it would be cool to have an actual pair of Air Jordans with the Indomie design. It think it’s a cute way of expressing one’s loyalty to an Indonesian food brand that has also gained popularity in other countries,” he added.
Jonas, who recently graduated from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore, then opened a limited order for 20 pairs of custom Indomie Air Jordans after the design was met with enthusiasm among netizens.
He said each custom pair costs Rp 3.3mil (RM960).
“I’ve received orders from people around the globe who are familiar and obsessed with Indomie, including those living in the United States, Thailand and Singapore,” Jonas told the Post.
He said the custom Indomie Air Jordans would be displayed at the Indonesia Comic Con this October.
“This has been an amazing turn of events. For my next project, I will probably come up with a custom Indomaret or Alfamart design for Air Jordans,” he said jokingly, referring to two leading chains of convenience stores in Indonesia. – The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network
