The Nike LeBron line finds its balance through creativity and collaboration | Bleacher's report

In his 15 NBA seasons, there is little LeBron James has not accomplished. Rings Trophies. The respect. He captured them all. But there is one area in which James fumbled in recent years: shoes.

A long-time signature of the Nike line, the LeBrons have lost their way and the public favor for several years. Nick DePaula of ESPN.com has ranked four consecutive models published between 2013 and 2016 among the worst in the LeBron range. Although James was the king of the court, his shoes were not. But in recent seasons, the line has experienced a rebirth that shows no signs of decline.

The fact that the LeBron line needed resuscitation would have been surprising a few years ago.

Even when James was at its height, when he announced that he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to join his All-Stars compatriots, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, in what was dubbed "a super-team" at Miami.–his sneakers sold well. In fact, Nike followed decision with the color of Miami par excellence for the LeBron 8, a Miami Viceteal-pink, nicknamed the "South Beach". He then became one of the most valuable LeBrons of all time, with pairs still listed on alternative sites such as Grailed and StockX for over $ 1,000.

The LeBron 9's and 10's were also successful, and James's consecutive titles against the NBA while wearing the shoes did not hurt. James' dominance on the court and in stores led Nike to try to change the lineup, but this time, the results fell below the Swoosh standard.

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The LeBron 11 marked the beginning of a new chapter for Nike's most successful line of athletic shoes. While many were pleased with the adjustment of the LeBron 10 Hyperfuse rod, the LeBron 11 modified the formula by combining the material with Foamposite to create Hyperposite. This hard material, coupled with a narrow structure and look that some observers have described as straight out of the Transformers style guide, has left many fans disappointed with the shoe, including its name.

James dropped out of 11 just after the NBA's 2013-14 regular season started due to adjustment problems, preferring to play in the Nike Zoom Soldier 7 for most of the regular season. At the end of the season, LeBron had spent more time in the sneakers of his secondary line more affordable than the signature model that Nike was trying to sell for $ 200.

The LeBron 12s and 13s were better to the extent that they matched James' feet, but they also sparked poor reactions from the fans. The 12 was voluminous and the 13 returned to the Transformers territory with its bright hyperposed accents. While the 14 abandoned the hyperposite and presented a significantly thinner upper, the shoe failed to generate interest anyway.

For just over three years (from late 2013 to early 2017), LeBron sneakers have fizzled with each new release. At the same time, his rivals and Nike teammates found exactly the opposite. Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and even Kobe Bryant, who retired in 2016, have all received enthusiastic responses to their models.

The recurring theme among the three? Their shoes left the field. Look at all the Kyrie, Kobe or KD of this era, and you'll easily see how light and slender sneakers combined with denim, jogging pants and chinos as stylish as those popular at the time, while Bigger LeBrons only looked at them on hardwood. . Pair your Kyrie 1s with Nike Tech Fleece Track Pants? No problem. Trying to go out for a city night in your LeBron 11, however, could make you turn away at the door.

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It was important that Nike block the landing with the LeBron 15. A failure would not have been synonymous with the disappearance of the sports giant, but it's not enough to saddle the face of your basketball division with another unpopular shoe. James would like to wear something on the court that everyone would like to wear. But how could Nike build a shoe in which the 250-pound striker would feel at home while allowing his fans to feel like he was?

The answer: BattleKnit.

While the Nike-Head are familiar with the woven technical material that has been the staple of many popular sneakers–known as Flyknit–BattleKnit is a little different. "This new version of Flyknit … is specially designed for LeBron," said LeBron 15 designer Jason Petrie in an interview with the brand's website. "He needed something more than what knit uppers, to this day, could provide structurally." The 15-in-one, combined with a padding system that combines Air Max and Zoom Air units and a modern full-boot construction, is what James calls his "favorite shoe to date".

As any sneakerhead will tell you, your shoe is as good as its color. The 15 launched in a design "Ashes", consisting of a black and gray stem with a white midsole and black spots, and received a lukewarm response. Other colors followed, some sparked slightly positive reactions, but none of them received fire emojis and comments "must be respected" that every brand wishes when it comes to light. a new color is available. They had the right shoe, but Nike needed a flattering and eye-catching look to really sell it. Nowadays, there are two shortcuts to this end: designer collaborations and nostalgia. Nike decided to use both.

As GQ recently reported, collaborations with fashion designers largely explain why Nike has become as cool as a sportswear brand in 2018, and when a brand wants to associate with a designer for a special color, few more deserve this call. than Ronnie Fieg, designer / founder of the famous streetwear brand / Kith retailer.

Recognized for updating new and old silhouettes with special features and high quality materials, Fieg has brought the hype equivalent of the Midas Touch to the LeBron 15 in the form of two "Long Live the King" collections. In addition to the updated performance 15 with floral patterns woven into the BattleKnit and zippers under the laces for easy access, Fieg has created a lifestyle version of the basketball with straps instead of laces, Flyknit at BattleKnit place and a higher pass. Each pair in the collaboration currently goes well beyond retail at the aftermarket sites, with some selling for more than $ 1,000.

Nike has also used a design strategy for the 15 models it has been using for years: putting the color gradients made popular on a shoe to a different silhouette. Whether using the classic black and red pattern of the Air Jordan 1 on Air Force 1 or offering all Nike models imaginable in red after the "Red October" Air Yeezy 2s. Although the effort may seem forced at times, when the right context and reason are present, the result can be the perfect mix of nostalgia and modernity.

It was the goal of LeBron Watch, a LeBron 15 series inspired by James' favorite Nikes. The program started with a pair of exclusives: a blue and yellow 15 with a Swoosh inspired by the Waffle Trainer.–one of the first Nike styles–and a 15 South Beach inspired by the aforementioned LeBron 8. Fans were able to purchase 15 inspired Diamond Turf, ACG Mowabb, Air Max 95 and more via Nike's SNKRS app. The limited edition pairs all sold out in minutes and (as one might expect) are now paying a substantial amount on the secondary market.

Although revised design concepts were instrumental in the success of the 15, James' enthusiasm for the tennis shoe was also great. He not only wore the shoe during almost every game of the 2017-18 regular season, he has worn it throughout the 2018 series and finals. It was very different from the previous season, when he moved to the Soldier for five games in the playoffs, including the last four of the final. After years of stumbling and obsolete technology marking the name of his trademark, James finally found a shoe worthy of a king. The only question is: where does he go from here?

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When Nike sees that something has worked, it usually holds it for a few years, if not longer. One could look at the similarities between the LeBrons 7-10, the Kyrie 1-5 and, perhaps more particularly, all the Kobés since Kobe 6 and see that Nike knows when he won the gold. Although more and more people were carrying LeBrons on the field and going to the markets, James' bulky models were previously excluded, the greatest proof that the LeBron 15 was a resounding success is his successor: the LeBron 16 .

Although not a true copy of the 15th, the 16 takes the best features of its predecessor and makes it even better, especially for those looking for something more elegant.

"The first thing we wanted to do was go down a bit lower in the shoe," said James Nike. "I wanted to go a little faster, get closer to the field and be a little more dynamic."

Nike has been trying to take advantage of last year's revolutionary rod by introducing BattleKnit 2.0, which adds an extra layer of thread to increase lateral support. Taking note of his previous mistakes, Nike has made sure to give priority to the form and run again in the 16th, teaming up with Harlem Fashion Row–a social enterprise that gives a voice to multicultural designers–create a lifestyle version of the shoe.

"I remember being in a room with LeBron and Mel (Melanie Auguste, Director of the Nike Basketball Global Brand), when [LeBron] said the quote that black women were the strongest people and looked at her as: "Holy cow, he just dropped an incredible gem", "said Petrie to B / R Kicks." And we were already working with the "Strongest" theme and how we could work with a team of what LeBron called the strongest people, and Mel came back with [HFR x LeBron 16]. "

The shoes were marketed only to women on September 7th during New York Fashion Week and were a hit, they sold instantly. Once again, in order to stick to what's working, Petrie confirmed that LeBron Watch would continue this season, and if he did not exactly confirm the form it would take, he deduced that it was no longer about putting retro colors on new LeBrons.

Petrie knew that he had a difficult job when James asked him to rank among the top 15 LeBron. The first returns are promising. According to Petrie, the first thing James said when he saw his new shoe was "It's a bad father – it's just there." I think he did the job.

Anteneh Gebre is an independent writer who covers fashion and sneakers. His work can be seen at Grailed.com.