A First Look At Nike’s Debut Maternity Collection, Designed With Elite Athlete Mothers-To-Be

A female-led team at the American sportswear giant called on Olympic athlete Perri Edwards and other mothers-to-be to consult on the Nike (M) collection, which has been designed with every aspect of pregnancy in mind. As anyone who’s ever had to slip on a matronly maternity bra will know, getting dressed during and straight after pregnancy all too often involves compromising on personal style — and, when it comes to working out, that compromise stretches beyond aesthetics to performance, too.

Newly retired British track and field star Perri Edwards knows better than most how impactful training wear can be. “When I was competing, it was look good, feel good, perform well,” she says. “It gives you that confidence when you know your clothes fit and you look good.” And, thankfully, she’s been able to carry that philosophy into impending motherhood as the face of Nike (M), a game-changing new collection of kit designed with every aspect of pregnancy in mind, from extreme changes in body shape to the practicalities of breastfeeding.

Creating Nike (M) has been a real passion project for the small, mostly female team behind it. “We found women were already choosing Nike for maternity because it provided the performance that they needed,” says Carmen Zolman, senior design director at Nike. “So we really wanted to listen and learn from that insight, and fully leverage the power of our sports-science collective to create a collection for her.” Over the past three years, Zolman and her colleagues studied more than 150,000 body scans, worked closely with 30 elite and amateur athletes, and harnessed all of Nike’s scientific and engineering innovation and expertise to create clothes with enough stretch and recovery, comfort, and style to satisfy the most discerning mother-to-be.

Edwards has been putting the collection through its paces over the past few months, working out at home and using everything from kettlebells to her stairs and furniture to help her stay strong. “It’s been a godsend,” she says. “Before, I was trying to fit into my old leggings and they were very tight and uncomfortable. These are snug but not tight, there’s no zips, no drawstring; they slide on, and they embrace and mould [to] your shape. And I love the fact that I can wear the clothes and you’re not going to see my bump popping out because they don’t fit me.”

The pieces are black, grey and pink with a discrete white signature swoosh, and at first glance look like part of the slick classic Nike offering. There are four to call on: a decidedly unmatronly supportive and quick-dry sports/nursing bra; a reversible, super-soft pullover that doubles as a nursing cover-up; a super-stretchy, scoop-necked tank top; and leggings that can cover your bump or fold down underneath it. And, where possible, they’re made from sustainable materials such as recycled polyester and organic cotton.

The Nike (M) collection is the logical next step in the brand’s mission to make women’s sport as inclusive as possible. Over the past few years, Nike has been taking note of gaps in its offerings, listening to the women involved in order to try and meet their needs. To date, it has launched Nike Plus Size, Nike Victory Swim (a modest swimming tunic with built-in hijab) and World Cup football kits designed around women’s bodies rather than shrunken versions of the men’s styles. As Zolman says: “There are already enough complications and distractions in life to keep you away from sport, and we definitely don’t want your sports apparel to be one of them.”