The Kobe 8 System

The road to perfection goes on as the creators continue to push the limits of Kobe’s shoe. Speed, precision, vision and versatility are very powerful traits on their own. But putting them all together made them more invincible. This was how Nike Performance Footwear Creative Director, his team and Kobe Bryant himself pushed the limits of the past Kobe shoes that led to the creation of a better system that meets Kobe’s performance.

“I’m always focused on improving my game, to perform at my best. I want  my shoes to mimic the speed of my game. By shaving fractions off the height and weight, it allows me to play faster with more control so I can maneuver across the court – I want to feel I’m moving at the speed of light” Kobe said.

The design team decided to incorporate an innovative textile for the first time in a basketball shoe known as the Nike Engineered Mesh Technology. The textile’s composition is 90% mesh that provides more breathability together with more durability, a combination like no other. The textile is tightly woven to a snug, glove-like fit for more strength and felxibiity to bend naturally with the feet. Also, the no-sew overlays on the toe and a 3D heel counter give more support for tougher conditions and gives Kobe a dynamic fit. The Engineered Mesh is the solution for staying dry and comfortable.

The snake-inspired graphics of the shoe was created by Erick Goto, a graphic designer for the Nike Basketball footwear team. The design was made to match Kobe’s on-court alter ego, The Black Mamba, and further inspired by the Chinese Year of the Snake in 2013. Goto worked with a more modern and geometric interpretation of the snake skin and gave each pair of shoes a unique tongue pattern for its own snake persona. The snake inspired design was also used in Kobe VI and Kobe VII but each shoe had different sets of unique patterns showing the improvement from one shoe to another.

The shoe’s full-length Lunarlon midsole provides ultra-lightwieght, low profile cushioning and low-to-the-gound for improved stability. Nike’s Lunarlon Technology is 30% lighter than standard Phylon Foam. It is inspired by the way astrounauts walk on the moon, hence the name Lunarlon. It reduces the pressure on the foot upon impact by distributing the force of the impact across the entire platform, protecting the foot’s most vulnerable areas. Researchers in the Nike Sports Research Lab found out that Lunarlon foam is soft and dissipates force more evenly over a larger area so athletes aren't pounding all their pressure in one place. It protects the foot’s fragile bones more effectively. Lunarlon Technology has a bouncy cushioning without sacrificing stability.

For the shoe’s sole, a tenacious traction is given by a one-millimeter rubber outsole that combines the classic herringbone and snake-scale pattern. The sole uses less rubber compared to traditional soles for lightweight durability and excellent multi-surface traction. This give Kobe a superior court feel and fuels his lightning-fast cuts and crossovers. A glass composite midfoot shank support is added to provide extensive torsional rigidity and midfoot support.

The Kobe 8 System is currently the lightest in the Kobe Shoe Series at 9.6 ounces in a U.S. men’s size 9.  And what makes it even better is because of the advanced technologies applied in the creation of the shoe, it has been considered a very versatile shoe that applies its technologies not just in basketball but also in other sports like volleyball, tennis, running and trainning.

Finally, “The Kobe 8 is about enhanced performance. It is simplistic, but has an edge to it.” Kobe said.

References:

Jones, Riley. “Know Your Tech: Nike Engineerd Mesh.” Sneaker Report. Complex Media, 10 June 2013. Web. 5 March 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fsneakerreport.com%2Fnews%2Fknow-your-tech-nike-engineered-mesh%2F>.

Jones, Riley. “Know Your Tech: Nike Lunarlon.” Sneaker Report. Complex Media, 7 June 2013. Web. 8 March 2014. <http://sneakerreport.com/news/know-your-tech-lunarlon/>.

“Nike Unveils The Kobe 8 System.” Nike,Inc.com. Nike, 30 November 2012. Web. 6 March 2014. <http://nikeinc.com/news/nike-unveils-the-kobe-8-system#/inline/15899>.

Schlemmer, Zack. “Nike Officially Unveils ‘Engineered Mesh’”Sole Collector. Complex media, 13 November 2013. Web. 9 March 2014. <http://solecollector.com/news/nike-officially-unveils-engineered-mesh-/>.

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