Corey Populus’ Nike Journey Comes Full Circle with Circulate’s Nike All-Star Weekend Pop-Up

Wherever the NBA decides to host All-Star Weekend festivities, that city becomes a mecca for all things related to basketball. A who’s who of sneakers, streetwear, and culture converge on ASW like it’s the annual hype convention. Los Angeles, a city already full of stars, both literally and figuratively, was home to the 2026 event, and has been a hub for the streetwear scene for decades. Most household names and brands in the space can trace their origins to somewhere in the City of Angels. So too can Corey Populus aka Young Corey of Circulate.

Starting a streetwear brand isn’t the hardest thing to do, but actually being successful? That’s a different story. Anyone can open up a photo editor, slap a graphic on some blanks, and post it on social. But knowing the true intricacies of navigating the clothing industry, finding the right suppliers, and learning hands-on how to produce high-quality graphics, plus the hundreds of other behind-the-scenes happenings of a business, that’s why you put in the hours. Corey has easily cracked the proverbial 10,000 hours that make you a master of your craft.

You may not immediately know Corey or his Circulate brand if you’re not into the streetwear space, but that will most definitely be changing in the coming years. Long before founding Circulate in 2018, Populus was lining up on Fairfax for the latest drops, putting in work at the Diamond Supply Co. store, and hanging out with the community and then-next generation of streetwear greats. This is where he learned the ropes of running a streetwear brand.

It’s been a long journey for Circulate, with plenty of ups and downs, but last year, Nike tapped Corey to produce limited merch for friends and family of the brand in the lead-up to the release of the Air Max 95 Big Bubble Bright Mandarin. Circulate’s pop-up inside Nike’s 11th Ave Market at Crenshaw High School last weekend marked the very first time the public was able to cop Nike x Circulate clothing, and it was a full circle moment for Corey. He grew up just a few blocks away from Crenshaw High School.

Sole Retriever was on the ground for NBA All-Star Weekend and was fortunate enough to get a few minutes with Corey to discuss Circulate, his new Nike collab, and the future of the brand. Unfortunately for us, by the time we had a chance to check out his booth, virtually every item he brought for the weekend was sold out. Bummer, but that’s a sign of how well received Circulate’s first Nike collab was by the people. Look out for Circulate's next drop, which will be released on the brand's site next month.

Our conversation below has been edited for clarity.

Nick Vlahos

Walk me through how everything came together for this activation at Nike’s 11th Ave Market.

Corey Populus

Nike hit me up. They said they were putting something together for All-Star Weekend and we’re looking for great LA partners. And miraculously, I got selected. Thank God. I’ve done a couple of Nike things in the past, friends and family things, but this is my first forward-facing collection that the consumer can buy. For this collection, I really wanted to celebrate creatives. I feel like the creative is the new athlete. Throughout the whole collection, you see that’s what I’m highlighting and celebrating.

The color palettes I used are for LA. Blue shirts obviously for the Dodgers, purple shirts for the Lakers, and everything else that’s yellow and blue–I keep getting a lot of Warriors comments–but that’s for Crenshaw [High School]. I actually grew up a couple of blocks from here. So everything kind of came full circle with this one.

Nick Vlahos

You did the Nike SB Skills Challenge Presented by Circulate. How did that go?

Corey Populus

Insane. Eric Koston skating on a manual pad that has my logo on it. P-Rod’s here. It’s the most insane thing. I haven’t even wrapped my head around it yet. I grew up skating in this neighborhood, and I grew up on Nike SB. Working with SB is my dream.

Nick Vlahos

If you did an SB collab, what would it be? Dunk Low or Dunk High?

Corey Populus

Gotta go Dunk Low. That’s how I got into sneakers. I used to collect Jordans when I was a kid, but SB really taught me about sneakers and getting into sneakers.

Nick Vlahos

Nike SB has always been about storytelling, pulling from culture and bringing that to sneakers.

Corey Populus

Exactly. And I think for me, seeing that helped transition me to do storytelling through clothes. Seeing how they did it inspired me. Being a creative, you need to tell stories because that’s how your consumer connects with it. That’s why I love Nike SB so much, because the stories that they told. Now, I try to do that with my clothes, and I feel like that’s why people connect to me, because they understand it.

Even with this collection, some people I had to explain it, but then you get the graphic designers that come in here and they’re like, “Oh that’s the Golden Ratio. This looks like a Photoshop tool palette.” It’s all very intentional.

Nick Vlahos

One last thing before you dip. What do you want to come out this weekend and what’s next for Circulate?

Corey Populus

I have a new collection coming out next month. But other than that, hopefully more stuff with Nike. I really love Nike. Shout out to the whole team: Malachi, Dylan, LeMar, Frank, everybody up in Portland that shows me mad love. I hope we can continue to do this.

Nicholas Vlahos

Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. When not writing for Sole Retriever, I enjoy watching films and discovering music. Follow me on Letterboxd @nickvlah For tips, reviews, or any shoes in a size 13, email nick@soleretriever.com