The world-first collaboration between French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain and Nike’s Jordan Brand is a leap from sport to style and blends the two into a new, distinctive idea.

The Nike brand has long been a staple of mainstream sportswear but the September release of the PSG 2018-19 UEFA Champions League home and away kits saw the Paris club's attempt to be seen on a global stage.

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The inclusion of the iconic Jumpman logo on the kits, usually reserved to promote Nike’s Air Jordan brand of sneakers and sportswear, signifies a reshape of the identities of the two collaborating partners.

Jordan’s first ever professional football kits are predominantly black and white, a move away from the traditional ‘rouge-et-bleu’ colours and ‘Hechter Design’ of PSG.

This is the second occurrence in recent years in which fans have felt that the club’s identity has been tampered with for commercial reasons.

In an effort to capitalise on ‘global appeal’, the most recent club crest change in 2013 removed Louis XIV’s cradle from between the legs of the Eiffel tower to make the structure almost the sole focal point.

The impact of such a collaboration is visible within the French capital in terms of Jordan’s recent progression in rising to the forefront of Parisian fashion and streetwear.

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Seemingly, the PSG x Jordan collection of over 90 items is a vehicle for the club to promote itself as an innovative brand across the domains of popular culture and lifestyle, outgrowing its confinement as a simple sports identity.

It is clear that the collaboration with Nike’s Jordan Brand is about competing with the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester United to become something far greater than any football club – a global brand.