Coming this August: Nike Sportswear, a new line timed to the Olympics that gives the brand's best-known classics a high-tech update. The Air Max 90 (pictured), for example, has been given a full mesh upper and a sole from its Free series of running shoes. The collection also includes the lightest garment the company's ever produced, a Windrunner jacket made with its lattice-style Flywire technology. But despite the forward-looking materials, Nike has produced the line with old-school craftsmanship—an AW77 hooded sweatshirt, for instance, is made from fleece by Loopwheeler, a Japanese company whose twenties-era looms produce only enough fabric for eight garments per day. Speaking of eight, the number dominates the designs—all in honor of the launch date, 8/8/08. Still, the line actually marks a return: Nike Sportswear was the company's full name when the brand was introduced in 1979.

New York design collective Gar-de has built its debut collection around leather, with every piece made entirely from the material. The result: part badass biker, part tailored gent. The focus is on craftsmanship and updating traditional shapes: jackets are finely detailed, like the seventies-style Bottle Sling (pictured, left) and the varsity-inspired Highway Man (right)—in short, this ain't your dad's bulky bomber. The Gar-de line debuts this fall, and will also include leather pants—but you'll be pleased to know, those are for women only.
Gar-de Bottle Sling ($1,825) and Highway Man ($1,680) available this fall, for more info, visit garde-de.com