Born in Mozambique, João studied to become an industrial designer in Portugal, working across product areas as diverse as furniture, cars and ceramics before moving on to the world of advertising. He founded his own agency, Home – where he did his first work for Nike – and then did a 15-year stint at Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam. Eventually José stepped up to the role of creative director for Nike sportswear, and then in 2016 he defected to another sportswear giant: these days he works as global director of creative concept and storytelling at adidas Group, based in the brand’s Brooklyn Creator Farm.