“The Kobe VI is a very character driven shoe with the alter ego of the Black Mamba prominently featured,” said Bryant. “We continue to evolve the technology to make it a performance based shoe, but aesthetically you haven’t seen a shoe pop like this before. It brings to life what drives me.”
Nike Performance Footwear Creative Director Eric Avar led a team of creatives who worked with Bryant to bring the Black Mamba to life in the Nike Zoom Kobe VI. The shoe’s upper features unique polyurethane “islands” that emulate a snake’s skin and increase or decrease in size throughout the shoe to protect against abrasion and increase durability exactly where needed. To add a lighthearted spin and play off the reptile’s deadly venom, “Venomenon” is inscribed on the front outsole.
“The Black Mamba to Kobe means being one of the deadliest predators on the planet,” Avar said. “That’s his approach to every game – he’s very calculating and he’s very quick.”
The Nike Zoom Kobe VI launches in retail stores and online at nikestore.com on December 26, 2010. NIKEiD will launch an exclusive sneak preview of the Nike Zoom Kobe VI iD available to Facebook Fans on December 10 at facebook.com/nikeid. Customized versions will be available for sale on December 24 at NIKEiD.com.
