Nike Officially Unveil the 2018 Doernbecher Collection and their Designers

Just Do It for them.

Nike’s annual celebration of children’s spirit, courage and strength, the Doernbecher Freestyle Collection, has been revealed for 2018. Nike today have introduced the six young designers, all being patients of the OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, and they want you to get to know about them, their journey and what their deisnges mean to them.

The Nike Doernbecher Freestyle patient-designers for 2018 are Chloe Swientek, 10, who designed the Nike Air Force 1 Low, Joey Bates, 12, designer of the Nike SB Dunk Low, Donovon Dinneen, 11, who designed the Air Jordan 15, Aiden Barber, 9, designer of the Nike Air Max 270, Kirsten Brown, 16, who designed the Nike Air Max 97, and Payton Fentress, 12, the designer of the Nike Zoom Fly.

Nike Air Force 1 Low Doernbecher

Designed by Chloe Swientek, 10

The shoe features the word breathe, the genetic mutations that cause Chloe’s CF appear on the tongue, and a pair of lungs are tucked away on the sockliner. Replicated on the outsole is Chloe’s port, an implanted device that makes it easier for her to receive medications. And on the midsole, a special message shares Chloe’s greatest wish: Cure CF.

Chloe isn’t about to let her disease get in the way of doing the things she loves, like playing soccer and basketball. (That’s her jersey number on the toebox.) Besides playing sports, she enjoys drawing, reading, and making people smile. In fact, she says it’s one of her greatest talents.

Nike SB Dunk Pro Low Doernbecher

Designed by Joey Bates, 12

An epic battle is being waged on the soles of Joey Bates’ shoes—a battle between two galactic chickens. (Stay with us here.) This creative kid decided to combine his passion for Star Wars with his love for chicken, so he designed an evil chicken character from the dark side, and a heroic chicken from the light side. “They represent dark and light meat,” Joey explains with a smile.

When Joey was four his mom, Amber, noticed that he was having trouble keeping up with his friends on the playground. A long series of medical tests revealed that Joey has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a degenerative disease that makes his body progressively weaker.

It hasn’t been easy, but Joey chooses to focus on the good stuff in his life, like hanging out with his two brothers and cheering on his favorite athlete, Clay Matthews of the Green Bay Packers. Matthews is a longtime supporter of kids who battle Duchenne muscular dystrophy, so Joey decided to thank him by adding colors inspired by his team and jersey number to the shoe.

Air Jordan 15 Doernbecher

Designed by Donovon Dinneen, 11

Donovon’s bold shoe is a tribute to his incredible strength. In a nod to his favorite anime series, the upper features rich black suede embossed with a dragon-scale pattern. Gold metallic accents include Donovon’s birthday and the Japanese symbol for protection. But the real action is on the sockliner; that’s where you’ll find Donovon’s fierce alter ego, Donoku. He explains,

“He has powers to protect people, like keeping them safe from getting sick.”

When he’s not designing super-powered shoes, Donovon loves reading books, playing basketball, and spending time with his close-knit family. “He loves his brothers so much,” says his mom, Shawnda. “He hugs them every morning when they wake up.”

Nike Air Max 270 Doernbecher

Designed by Aiden Barber, 9

His camouflage kicks feature a cool image of his brain, complete with small titanium plates now implanted in his skull. You’ll also find the initials AB, which have a special significance. Not only are they Aiden’s initials, they’re also the initials of his beloved big sister Abigail, who is exactly one year older than him. (They share the same birthday!)

While the AB represents Aiden and Abigail’s initials, it also stands for his powerful personal motto, Always Believe.

Nike Air Max 97 Doernbecher

Designed by Kirsten Brown, 16

Kirsten describes herself as a survivor, which she expressed with a bold SRVVR graphic on the upper of her shoe. On the outsole of one shoe, a green ribbon stands for heart transplant awareness. On the other, a red ribbon represents stroke awareness. She also threw in accents of her favorite color, lavender. “I wanted to educate people about my condition, but I also wanted to make a really cool shoe,” she explains.

Although she’s still in recovery, this witty, well-spoken girl is enjoying getting back to regular teen life—going to the movies with friends, eating pizza, and rooting for her little brother Charles at his baseball games. As for her perpetually positive attitude, she says the secret is simple: Make other people happy.

Nike Zoom Fly SP Doernbecher

Deigned by Payton Fentress, 12

Remember Payton Fentress’ name, because this talented young athlete has set his sights on a baseball career. A true sports fan, his shoe is a walking hall of fame, paying homage to some of the greatest moments of his favorite teams. (Like the championship dates of the Portland Trail Blazers and the Chicago Cubs.)

Payton was sidelined for a while in 2010 when he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and colitis. Eight years later, he has the disease under control with the help of monthly medication infusions at Doernbecher. “They’re so nice there,” he said. “The doctors always remember my name, and I like hanging out with the therapy dogs.”

Now that he’s feeling better, this friendly, outgoing kid is back to enjoying his all-time favorite meal, a hamburger and fries. He also loves practicing his guitars (he plays both acoustic and electric) and dreams of traveling to Japan someday.

Each release will come with matching apparel and accessories, also designed by the DB kids above. The Nike 2018 Doernbecher Freestlye Collection is set to release in adult and youth sizes on December 14th at select retailers and Nike.com. The apparel collection releases a day later on December 15th.

Be sure to check out our Release Calendar to stay up to date with all upcoming releases — and where to buy ’em!