Nike has tapped influencer Quenlin Blackwell, who boasts millions of followers across social media, to join its roster of talent. Going beyond a traditional campaign, the relationship blends sport, fashion, entertainment and internet culture through a shared commitment to self-expression and looking ahead to what’s next.
Blackwell’s career has grown from posting viral videos from her bedroom in suburban Texas to a career encompassing work across comedy, hosting, modeling, acting, design and fashion. It’s a full-circle moment for Blackwell, whose mom established a “one shoe a year” rule when she was growing up; her first pair of Nikes were white Air Force 1s, and now her go-to styles from the Swoosh include the Nike SB Dunk High MF DOOM and Nike Air Rift.
What does the partnership with Blackwell signal for Nike? FN outlines three reasons for the deal below.
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Investing in Gen Z
At 25, Blackwell is a prominent Gen Z voice, having risen to fame on social media, gone on to land high-profile gigs like walking in Off-White and Victoria’s Secret shows and making a guest appearance as herself in the HBO show “I Love LA.”
With young adults and teenagers making up a key demographic for a large swath of fashion brands, partnerships with Gen Z talent have become one way to reach the generation. Nike teamed up with Urban Outfitters in 2025 as part of the retailer’s “On Rotation” experience targeting Gen Z, spotlighting an expanded assortment of Nike footwear and apparel in a lounge-like setting in five key cities around the country. Their partnership later expanded to pop-ups in New York and Chicago that December, complete with a bounce house and structure that was part-igloo, part-sand castle.
Nike still appears to have pull with younger shoppers. YouGov’s 2026 U.S. fashion retailer rankings report, released earlier this year, shared that 55.4 percent of Gen Z adults and 52.6 percent of Millennials said they would consider purchasing from Nike. Meanwhile, in Piper Sandler’s fall 2025 “Teen Survey,” Nike dominated in footwear and apparel categories.
Doubling Down on Running
As part of her partnership with Nike, Blackwell is set to participate in the Nike After Dark Tour: LA 13.1 on Oct. 24 in Los Angeles. She will document her training in the coming weeks, treating it as a form of creative expression as she moves beyond her usual disciplines. Blackwell is also set to star as the face of a forthcoming campaign with a yet-to-be-revealed “key retailer.” Whether it will focus on running, only time will tell.
Amid Nike’s broader financial struggles, running has emerged as one of the company’s stronger categories. During Nike’s fourth-quarter conference call, chief executive officer Elliott Hill said, “Running grew $5 billion — $1 billion over the last five quarters, and we gained five market share points.”
The 2026 Nike After Dark Tour encourages women to come together for night-running experiences in seven cities around the world: Shanghai, Sydney, Mexico City, London, Los Angeles, Manila and Mumbai. The races welcome women of all backgrounds and abilities to participate.
Strengthening Influencers Ties and Tapping Into Culture
Nike’s partnership with Blackwell follows its announcement earlier this year that lifestyle influencer Brett Chody would serve as the brand’s first running global creator. Chody, who had already built running into her content and had a pre-existing relationship with Nike, is a champion of the After Dark Tour as part of her new role. Like Blackwell, she is also set to participate in the Los Angeles half-marathon.
“So much about my community and what I do is about bringing people together, especially women, and the After Dark Tour is the same thing,” Chody told FN. “It’s supposed to be a really positive experience, very community-driven and making a race very approachable.”
Nike also partnered with Kim Kardashian’s brand Skims to create a brand unto itself, NikeSkims, a standalone brand and another play for influencer star power.
An official release from the company reads, “The partnership reflects the increasingly fluid space where sport and culture meet. Blackwell represents a new generation of talent that moves seamlessly between performance, fashion, creativity, entertainment and internet culture, expanding the traditional idea of what an athlete can be and how movement can be expressed.”
