Nickelodeon inspired, Kyrie Irving approved
On August 10th the fictional town of Bikini Bottom is washing ashore. Nike have teamed up with one of their signature athletes, Kyrie Irving and beloved cartoon series SpongeBob SquarePants for the most unlikely of capsules. What I mean by that is, I for one wouldn’t immediately make the connection between Basketball and Nickelodeon. Kyrie Irving, who plays a major role in the designs inception offers up his signature Nike Kyrie 5 and Nike Kyrie 2 Low silhouettes as the basis for this collection. He does an excellent job of detailing what this capsule is really all about. Highlighting the loud and expressive aesthetic of the Kyrie x SpongeBob SquarePants shoes, told through the five characters the shoes represent from the show. “The sneaker pack is a lot bigger than obviously just putting out the shoes, its about the connection I have to the youth, passing down some timeless gems.”
Why SpongeBob SquarePants?
In 1999, the world fell in love with an incurably optimistic sponge. Fast forward 20 years, over 200 episodes and countless memes later and SpongeBob is still going strong. Bringing joy to millions, connecting with generations of super-fans. Super-fans like Kyrie Irving, and getting someone on board like him who resonates with the source material was of principle importance. Not only does Kyrie understand the essence of what is trying to be achieved, he respects the material in such a way that the end result would only ever be positive. In some of the promotional material for the capsule, Kyrie is able to expand on the personalities of the characters the shoes represent. With the consistent themes throughout being expression, joy, and uniqueness. Qualities that are valued very highly on the court.
Kyrie x SpongeBob SquarePants
Kyrie’s love for one of television’s most memorable shows is infectious. Each pair from the Kyrie x SpongeBob SquarePants capsule brings the cultural phenomenon that is Bikini Bottom to the basketball court. Consisting of five total designs, blessing the show’s five most important characters with their own shoes: SpongeBob, Patrick Star, and Squidward are all represented by the Nike Kyrie 5. While Mr. Krabs and Sandy Cheeks get love from the Nike Kyrie Low 2. Each character is represented unmistakably on each of the shoes. SpongeBob’s porous yellow body with accents of red and brown a nod to his signature outfit is portrayed excellently. Patrick’s punchy pink complexion and bubbly nature highlighted by a green mid and outsole to represent his green shorts is vibrant as it gets. While seafoam green and light blue keep Squidward’s colourway relatively simple in comparison.
Meanwhile, Mr. Krabs gets a bright red Kyrie Low 2 accented by blue, gold and a green money print. Plus a special hit on the medial side provided by his arch-nemesis Plankton. While Texan squirrel Sandy Cheek’s Kyrie Low 2’s nod to the colours and details of her astronaut suit. All five designs feature their character’s visage on the insole, and will reportedly be accompanied by matching apparel.
You can expect to see the entirety of the Kyrie x SpongeBob SquarePants collection drop via the Nike SNKRS online trainers app on August 10th. Reportedly with the Nike Kyrie 5 models retailing at £105, and the Nike Kyrie Low 2 models retailing at £90.