Mamba’s out, but his signature kick’s are just getting started. Just one day after Kobe Bryant dropped 60 points in his final game, Nike dropped a tribute shoe in the form of the KOBE 11 Muse Pack.
The Muse pack borrows inspiration from design pioneers including NIKE, Inc. President & CEO Mark Parker, Eric Avar and Tinker Hatfield. Yet, this ain’t some bandwagon tribute, the link between Bryant and the three designers dates back to the Nike Huarache 2K4, the first shoe Kobe wore after signing with Nike in 2003. Each person played a pivotal role in the shoe’s development, and those early days paved the way for the Mamba’s signature line.
The first of the pack to be released is the KOBE 11 Avar Muse. The design reflects Bryant and Avar’s mutual interest in nature, with a focus on Yosemite National Park’s “El Capitan” rock formation. “Nature in its complex simplicity is in a constant state of refinement,” explains Avar.
Learn more about the shoe and hear from Kobe himself after the jump…
The shoe features crafted details, like a leather patch on the right heel printed with a philosophy that Avar and Bryant share: “I see beauty in the struggle.” Similar to climbers scaling El Capitan and gazing at Yosemite’s beauty from 8,000 feet above the ground, both Bryant and Avar have overcome significant life challenges, tested themselves and remained resilient.
According to Avar and Nike, the shoe’s blue hues represent the sky and water seen from the California summit, while the taupe collar lining and outsole mimic the textured granite formation below. The vibrant sock liner graphic also nods to the multicolor pattern associated with Yosemite.
For a little more about Nike, the kicks and how the collab came to be, hear it from the Mamba himself!
