The Shop x Nike LeBron 21 is officially out. Designed in collaboration with The Shop — the community-connecting brand and conversation series — the sneaker was released on Tuesday and is currently available to purchase via The Shop’s official store.
The special-edition The Shop x Nike LeBron 21 sneaker brings a fresh take to the King’s signature shoe lineup with its vibrant design and technical features. Designed to give you that fresh-out-of-the-shop feeling after a clean cut and crafted with a metallic gold upper boasted by a subtle ripple design, which, according to the brand, is a visual nod to a velour durag. This iteration of the Nike LeBron XXI shoe is also enhanced by a sneaker insole that features a custom abstract texture that resembles airwaves and an outsole and sock liner with the graphic texture of hair waves.
Characterized by a two-tone colorway inspired by the checkerboard floor of the barbershop, this shoe has other notable neat features, such as cords wrapped around the upper, heel and side that resemble braids, an aqua blue heel that represents the blue Barbicide glass container found in barbershops and Zoom Air units present within a low-to-the-ground design.
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The Shop’s logo graces the heel and custom insoles for a special homage to LeBron James’ community-first ambitions, beyond the game of basketball as a finishing touch. Paul Rivera, General Manager and co-creator of The Shop Brand had this to say about the launch:
“At the core of The Shop is our desire to connect with our community and stay rooted in the culture. You see that with our latest product in every design detail. It’s so rewarding to see the essence of The Shop brand continue to extend beyond content. It’s exciting to bring LeBron’s passion for community and his signature sneaker line to life through this one-of-a-kind collaboration between The Shop and the LeBron Nike brand, celebrating those who are a cut above.”
Cody Moore, Senior Designer of The Shop echoed similar sentiments stating, “For this sneaker, we pulled inspo from a few classic accessories like the velour durag and created something that speaks directly to the essence of the brand. We all know the feeling of confidence when you leave the barbershop, with a fresh edge-up. That’s the feeling we want to evoke when you put these on. If you can bring that level of confidence day in and day out, the world is yours. That’s what it’s really about, taking pride in yourself to set yourself up for success each day.”
The Shop x Nike LeBron 21 sneaker will also be available via the Nike SNKRS app on Friday.
