Nike Inc. is working with 15 students at the Otis College of Art and Design in downtown Los Angeles to create a number of apparel designs that could be used for the Nike-sponsored Brazil soccer team for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

“The program is mostly to teach, but it isn’t to say that if something is aesthetically appeasing and technologically workable that we wouldn’t take it from there,” said Betsy Parker, a senior apparel recruiter for Nike. She added that the company hires a large number of employees out of Otis.

The students, who are in their junior year at the fashion school, were instructed to create on and off the field sportswear for the team with colors and graphics that reflect the Brazil team’s history and heritage while including the Nike brand sensibility.

The Nike program is one of a number of programs offered through the school to work with designers such as wedding dress creator Monique Lhuillier and John Varvatos for Converse.

The students will begin researching and creating sketches this week. In May, between 18 and 20 outfits will appear on athletes and models in a runway show put on by the school in May.

Nike’s collaboration with students goes back to the origin of the Beaverton, Ore.-based company in 1971. Founder Phil Knight was working at Portland State University to supplement the salary he drew from the startup. He came across Carolyn Davidson working on a project in the hallway, and asked her to design work for his company for a few dollars an hour.

She created the swoosh sign for shoes and was paid $35 for the design. She continued to work for the company until the company’s advertising needs called for a full-service ad agency. In 1983, Knight gave Davidson a gold swoosh ring embedded with a diamond, and an envelope containing Nike stock. No one but Davidson and Knight know how much.

At the end of the Otis program, Nike plans to buy the designs from the students, at a price that the students name, said Parker.

A Fresh Approach

Fresh Dining, one of L.A.’s upscale diet meal delivery services, is trying to bring more business to the table by launching nutrition counseling, lifestyle coaching and personal trainers.

Under the “Freshology” brand, which will kick off on Jan. 1, the company is starting “Fresh Mommy” service, which is a weight loss and fitness program for new mothers; and “Fresh Corporate,” a health and wellness program for businesses.

The company is expanding its services to San Diego this month, and plans are afoot to eventually bring the business to other cities, like San Francisco.

The new initiative also has “green” components, such as recyclable and compostable packaging and alternative-fuel vehicles.

“About 30 percent of our customers do this out of convenience, not to lose weight, said owner Todd DeMann.” It’s so they don’t have to go to Whole Foods and make everything themselves.”

From their Burbank kitchens, Fresh delivers clients five gourmet meals of about 1,200 calories daily before 6 a.m., along with the day’s menu and heating instructions. The menus can be customized with organic upgrades. The service costs from $42.95 to $56 per day, and programs run between 14 and 90 days.

Dog Food

Jakks Pacific Inc. is teaming up with several national pet organizations to create branded pet products that will expand the company’s pet division. The Malibu-based toy company is doing an initial rollout of a line of American Kennel Club-branded dog food this week to Pet Co. and Stop and Shop nationwide.

“The consumable business is an attractive one for Jakks because it is all year round, whereas toys are only bought a few times a year,” said Genna Rosenberg, a spokesperson for Jakks Pacific. “There are more households that have pets now than kids.”

The company plans to differentiate itself in the already saturated dog food industry by selling the product in individually packaged, disposable containers, Rosenberg said.

Jakks last week also announced a deal with the Humane Society of the United States to develop and distribute a line of Humane Society-branded products, including pet toys, collars and leashes.

Staff reporter Sarah Filus can be reached at (323) 549-5225, ext. 236, or at [email protected]. Anne Riley-Katz contributed to this column.