Nike has introduced the Nike ACG Radical AirFlow top, a performance garment developed around perforated fabric structures intended to accelerate airflow and sweat evaporation during endurance running. The long-sleeve silhouette incorporates cone-shaped openings across the body that function as airducts based on the Bernoulli principle and Venturi effect, increasing airflow speed through narrowed passages.
The new and unique garment debuted during the 2025 Western States Endurance Run through Nike ACG athlete Caleb Olson and later appeared inside Nike’s Air_Lab installation at Milan Design Week 2026. The top features a cropped construction with perforated sections positioned beneath the arms, across the sleeves, and around mobility zones including the elbows. Nike developed the project through its All Conditions Gear division, which focuses on outdoor-specific apparel and environmental performance testing.
Perforated Cooling Apparel
Nike ACG Radical AirFlow Introduces Air-Channeling Performance Fabric
Trend Themes
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Perforated Performance Textiles — A shift toward engineered fabric perforations that boost convective cooling and moisture transport opens potential for garments that materially change athlete thermoregulation.
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Bioinspired Airflow Engineering — Designs using Venturi- and Bernoulli-based channeling suggest new textile geometries that manipulate local airflow speeds without adding electronics or bulk.
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Zone-specific Thermal Regulation — Targeted perforation patterns tuned to mobility and sweat hotspots indicate fabrics capable of delivering differentiated microclimates across a single garment.
Industry Implications
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Athletic Apparel — Performance wear brands can exploit perforation-driven cooling to create lighter, more breathable collections that redefine comfort standards for endurance athletes.
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Smart Textiles Manufacturing — Producers of advanced fabrics may integrate precision perforation techniques and computational fluid design to industrialize airflow-optimised material production.
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Outdoor Performance Testing Services — Laboratories and validation providers focused on environmental wear testing could expand offerings to quantify airflow-channel effects and certify microclimate performance.