Nike invited me to Portland for a few days, giving me a rare behind-the-scenes look at the brand’s ecosystem. From walking the iconic campus to visiting the LeBron Research Center, running Portland’s iconic Wildwood Trail and lunch in the 10th floor of Serena Williams Building, the trip offered a deeper understanding of how innovation at Nike actually comes to life. But more importantly, it was an opportunity to experience what’s currently happening around ACG up close. As you might know, i am a long-time-fan of ACG, not matter if it was about the funny tees, the Supreme collabs or the overly technical era under Errolson Hugh. Last year marked the starting point for a new “era” of ACG as Nike’s new home ground for all current and future outdoor activity, obviously including trail running.
Between product previews, a campus tour, conversations with the team, and getting a feel for what “ACG Newness” really means for in 2026, one thing became clear: ACG is not longer meant to be a lifestyle-ish sub brand for the Swoosh, rather Nike is about to evolve it into something much bigger. It’s meant to stand alone; a platform; a mindset.
During the day, i had the chance to sit down with Aaron Belchere, which i already met in Milan during ACG’s “train into the wild” experience. Belchere is a Nike veteran with more than 12 year of experience working for the Swoosh and since 2025, he’s ACG’s creative director. We talked about the relaunch, the balance between heritage and performance and why ACG might be one of, maybe the most interesting space inside of Nike right now.
RH: Hey Aaron, let’s start with Milan – because for many it appeared to be the first “big bang” around the ACG relaunch earlier this year (after the first “steps” last year’s guerrilla-like appearances with Ultrafly & Radical Airflow). The Milano-Cortina moments, the train, US athletes in ACG, the unexpected cultural crossovers. Did you achieve what you set out to do?
A: In short: yes, and more. From my perspective as a creative director, it actually exceeded expectations.
But the most interesting thing wasn’t even something we had set as a goal. What I realized is that ACG is a brand people want to create with. That was new to me.
We saw things happen that we never could have planned, whether it was athletes, collaborators, or cultural moments like Milan, Drop City, or Spazio Maiocchi. People didn’t just engage with ACG; they built on top of it. They contributed to it.
That’s kind of a nirvana in brand building. You create something that others want to shape and expand. And honestly, it’s already growing beyond what we can fully control—which is a really powerful place to be.
RH: Do you think the ACG relaunch - especially adding performance to what had become more of a lifestyle range - is the missing piece to get Nike Trail back on track?
A: The way we talk about it internally is that ACG always had something really special; this unique invitation to the outdoors. It carried a kind of unhinged, expressive attitude that felt like the perfect starting point for an outdoor brand. In a way, that was the hardest part to build, and ACG already had it.
At the same time, Nike Trail represented the other side of the equation: that unmatched performance. What we realized was that we weren’t fully emphasizing that within ACG. So the idea became: what if we bring these two things together? If we could inject Nike’s innovation and performance credibility into ACG - how it was originally intended - we felt like that could unlock the brand’s future.
RH: You mentioned earlier the three pillars: best product, different product, and fun. The “fun” aspect feels especially underrepresented in the industry. Can we expect that playful side of ACG (like the classic graphic tees) to continue?
A: It’s not going to be one extreme or the other. One of the most important things about ACG has always been that balance. It was never just about climbing the highest mountains or running the toughest races: it was about doing those things and enjoying them.
We often say internally: “Serious fun for not-so-serious people.” Because when you’re out there pushing yourself, a lot of it doesn’t feel fun in the moment - but it’s incredibly rewarding. That’s what we want to reflect.
So yes, you can expect the fun side to stay. There will absolutely be expressive pieces, maybe even some weird graphic tees, but alongside that, we’ll continue to build highly functional, performance-driven products. The key is that everything carries that ACG attitude. There’s always a wink, always a bit of personality.
RH: How long did the journey take from the first idea of relaunching ACG to where we are now?
A: There are two ways to look at that. On one hand, people at Nike have been talking about ACG’s potential for years. There’s a deep love for the brand; from leadership to people deeply embedded in the outdoors. Everyone felt there was something special there and kept asking: what if we pushed it further?
On the more concrete side, it’s been about two years since a group of us sat down and really mapped it out - what it could look like, what we’d make, what we wouldn’t, and how it should feel. That’s when things became intentional.
At the same time, not everything was planned. Some of it was what I’d call “intentional accidents.” For example, having Caleb run TransGran Canaria in a prototype shoe before any official announcement—that wasn’t a big campaign move. It was more like, “he loves the shoe, let’s just do it.” And those moments helped shape the story organically.
RH: With ACG living somewhat independently inside the Nike universe - without always pushing the Swoosh front and center - does that create more freedom to experiment?
A: Definitely. Early on, someone very senior at Nike told us: “Go almost too fast.” That gave us a kind of license as a team to experiment, to take risks.
ACG represents two things within Nike. First, it’s our outdoor performance brand, and we want to keep building that into something truly special. But second, it also represents a way of working. A lot of people say ACG feels like “old Nike” - a bit more raw, more creative, more free.
That freedom allows us to try things, make mistakes, and hopefully create examples that other teams can learn from. It’s not that others can’t do it - it’s more that sometimes you need to see it happening.
RH: Some people compare what’s happening with ACG right now to the golden era of Nike SB. Do you see parallels there?
A: If ACG can tap into even one-tenth of Sandy’s energy - how he approached SB, football, everything, it becomes a rocket ship. What he and that team built was incredibly special, and it takes a rare mindset to create something with that kind of cultural impact.
I only met Sandy a couple of times, but it was immediately clear: he approached building brands the same way an athlete approaches sport. That means a level of commitment that’s almost maniacal, a willingness to take risks, and a refusal to let anything get in the way of the goal. That’s something we really try to embrace within the ACG team every day.
RH: Looking ahead, what are the next steps for ACG - especially in trail running and globally? Is the focus more on races, markets like the U.S. and Asia, or something else?
A: Of course, there are always business strategies, where we show up, how we grow, things like that. But if you spend even a few minutes with our team, you’ll realize that’s not the main driver.
What really guides us is simple: we want to do things that excite athletes and get us fired up every day.
And that energy exists everywhere: Europe, China, the U.S. It’s not tied to one specific market. So rather than following a rigid plan, a lot of what you’ll see from ACG will come from instinct. From moments where we see something that inspires us and think, “let’s go do that.”
Some of the most important things we’ll do next probably won’t be in any strategy deck. They’ll come from curiosity, creativity, and a desire to have fun in the outdoors.
RH: Thank you Aaron for sharing your thoughts on the past, present and future of ACG and showing us around in the world of All Conditions Gear!
If you wanna know more about ACG, check out their Footwear Line-Up for 2026 and some bits about last year's launch of the re-branding. You'll find more content around Runners Highest's Portland visit via Instagram and a second interview via runnershighest.com in the next days.
