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Today, December 7th, 2010, Nike has officially unveiled Kobe Bryant’s sixth signature sneaker, the Nike Zoom Kobe VI. Over the past few months, we have spotted multiple colorways of this highly anticipated sneaker; however, the official photos and details have now surfaced.
The Nike Zoom Kobe VI, a sneaker inspired by Kobe Bryant’s on-court alter ego, draws cues from the fearsome Black Mamba snake. Much like Bryant’s last two signature models, this shoe possesses a lightweight construction, as it weighs in a 10.6 ounces.
?The Kobe VI is a very character driven shoe with the alter ego of the Black Mamba prominently featured,? said Kobe 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.?
The scaly, snakeskin-like upper features unique polyurethane ?islands? that mimic an actual snake?s skin. It acts as a protection against abrasion and specializes in durability by an increase or decrease in size throughout the shoe. To coincide with it primary inspiration, ?Venomenon? is inscribed on the front outsole.
?The Black Mamba to Kobe means being one of the deadliest predators on the planet,? said Eric Avar, the Nike Performance Footwear Creative Director and designer of the Nike Zoom Kobe VI. ?That?s his approach to every game ? he?s very calculating and he?s very quick.?
Kobe Bryant’s sixth signature shoe also contains an innovative dual-layer memory foam sockliner that molds to the form of one’s foot for a one-of-a-kind custom fit. Additionally, a Phylon injected midsole and Nike Zoom units in the heel and forefoot aid one’s comfort level in this low profile shoe.
Nike designers also improved on the development of the low-cut sneakers that have taken over Kobe’s line. The Kobe VI features reduced midsole thickness to keep the foot closer to the ground for improved stability and better court feel. As for the ever-improving Flywire technology, this shoe owns a new, three-layer construction of the innovative, performance-based technology. The inside of the shoe contains a layer of mesh, followed by a layer of Flywire and topped off by another layer of breathable mesh with polyurethane islands for abrasion resistance. This unique construction obviously produces a lighter, more breathable and more conformable sneaker than the previous designs.
The Nike Zoom Kobe VI will hit retailers/online (nikestore.com) on December 26th, 2010. NIKEiD will launch an exclusive sneak preview of the Nike Zoom Kobe VI iD available to Facebook Fans on December 10th at facebook.com/nikeid. Customized versions will be available for sale on December 24th at NIKEiD.com.
