Clothing and apparel deals have become very popular between companies in recent times in the esports industry.

Only last week, Team Liquid and Fortnite announced a new line of apparel which was met with great acclaim on social media and now esports tournament organisers BLAST have teamed up with sporting giants Nike to produce its own range of esports-related clothing and apparel.

It’s been a busy few months for the esports tournament organisation company. Back in April, it was announced that the BLAST Premier is looking for a host city to be the focus of one of the key tournaments of 2023.

A decision on that is expected around August this year, but ahead of that there has been this potentially exciting development for fans of BLAST and its esports events.

Video Launch Confirms August Release Date

Earlier this week, BLAST confirmed their agreement with Nike to develop a range of apparel in a video that featured one of the prominent CS:GO casters, Mohan “launders” Govindasamy.

The video revealed that the clothing set to be released will include T-shirts, hoodies, jerseys and caps and that all the items will feature both Nike’s famous Swoosh logo, as well as the BLAST Premier logo.

Additionally, the video also revealed that the collection will be launched during the BLAST Premier Fall Groups phase of the tournament, which is scheduled to take place between August 19th and 28th later this year.

“Most Reputable Brands In The World”

Commenting on the agreement, the head of creative solutions at BLAST, Faye Marlborough, revealed:

“Our ambition is to work with the most reputable brands in the world, and they don’t come much bigger than Nike.”

“Gaming has become a lifestyle over the last few years with the rise of esports, we are excited to be able to encapsulate the passion and uniqueness associated with competitive gaming through this collection.”

What is less well understood is where this will leave BLAST’s own esports merchandising, that the company has sold through its own website.

This has been offline since October 2021, but a note on the website reveals that “the BLAST store will be back soon,” indicating perhaps that the store will reopen to sell the new products developed with Nike, perhaps alongside its own branded items.

This is the second time BLAST has worked with a major name in the sports industry after having struck a deal with Champion a few years back to release a limited-edition collection of apparel.

Rare Move For Nike

As one of the most recognised names in the sporting apparel and equipment industry, it is generally rare for Nike to venture into esports, although they do have a small number of agreements in the industry.

They are a partner of the LPL League of Legends series in China, plus they have also partnered with some popular teams such as T1 and SK Gaming.

Now the company will be represented with this apparel, released at the Blast Premier Fall groups, one of the most exciting CS:GO tournaments in the world.

The tournament features a dozen of the top CSGO teams in the world including the likes of Astralis, BIG, Complexity Gaming, FaZe Clan, G2 Esports and Natus Vincere.

Fans are already gearing up for the event by enjoying some early BLAST Premier betting, and this new clothing release will only add to the excitement in the build up to one of the biggest CSGO events of the year.