We just finished seeing the Nike Zoom Air Huarache 2K4, and now we’re learning some history behind the Nike Zoom Generation. Dating back to 2003, the Nike Basketball silhouette was crafted for incoming superstar LeBron James. It was the start of a long lasting series of sneakers made by Nike for LeBron, which will introduce a new model later this year as he prepares to defend his NBA Championship.
“We will design you the most comfortable basketball shoe you have ever worn.”- Aaron Cooper
How do you go about equipping a warrior for court warfare and building a lasting relationship between a brand and player?
The Nike Zoom Generation had to deliver. It represented the start of a relationship with a young phenomenon named LeBron James. The Nike Zoom Generation’s lead designer, Aaron Cooper, was one of the first Nike employees to be in contact with LeBron. After being shown some of Cooper’s earlier works, LeBron was asked what he was looking for beyond the looks. Without missing a beat James responded, “Comfort.”
For a designer, this gave the brief a fresh perspective. As Cooper recalls, “I was actually really excited to focus and build a signature product around comfort. I told him right after, ‘We will design you the most comfortable basketball shoe you have ever worn. Period.’”
Article source: Kicks on Fire
