Recently, Complex flew out to L.A. to check out the Nike L.A. "Neighbourhood Pack," releasing in preparation for NBA All-Star Weekend which kicks off in L.A. on February 18th. You've seen them around here and there, but we thought we'd give you as much info as we can right in one place. Ready?
1) SO WHAT IS THIS "NEIGHBOURHOOD PACK" ANYWAY? AND WHAT'S UP WITH THAT SPELLING? ARE WE IN ENGLAND? The "Neighbourhood Pack" consists of three packs of four shoes each, one for each of three Los Angeles neighborhoods: Hollywood, Orange County and East L.A. (shown in that order). Each of those neighborhoods gets a Kobe VI, two Hyperfuse Lows, and an Air Force 1 Low. So, 12 shoes in all. As for the spelling of "Neighbourhood," we don't know. That's just how they roll.
2) THESE ARE ALL-STAR SHOES THEN, RIGHT? Well, not really. There's a separate Kobe VI All-Star edition that Kobe will wear in the game -- he won't be cycling through all of these. But they're definitely connected to the weekend, so, yes and no?
3) WOW, THANKS A LOT. CAN WE SKIP TO THE CHASE REAL QUICK? WHEN DO THEY COME OUT? AND DO I HAVE TO GO TO L.A. TO FIND THEM? The East L.A. and Orange County packs are out now -- nationwide, and on nike.com. The Hollywood pack is coming out on February 11th, so you've still got some time there.
4) WHAT'S UP WITH THOSE HOLLYWOOD KOBE VIS ANYWAY? IS THAT REALLY 3D? Yup, and they even come with the glasses. Although we don't recommend you actually walk around with the glasses on. We'll tell you more about those in a separate post, OK?
5) OK. SO WHO DESIGNED ALL THESE? A Nike graphic designer named Erick Goto. He's got an L.A. background, so he knew what he wanted to draw from when he put these together.
6) SUCH AS? Such as the sunset and the sea for the O.C., the Dodger Blue (officially "Drenched Blue") and urban landscape (that's what the white pattern is on the toe) and the lowrider detailing for the East L.A., and the 3D for the Hollywoods.
7) HEY, THE O.C. HYPERFUSE LOWS LOOK LIKE THEY COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER REAL WELL. COULD I BUY BOTH PAIRS AND MIX THEM UP? Um, sure? You don't even have to ask.
8) WHAT ELSE? Well, not sure whether you noticed, but the lining of the Hollywood Hyperfuses is 3D. So are the "HYPERFUSE" logos on the tongues. Also, the "sunset" upper of the O.C. Kobe VI is an actual photograph. As is that white pattern on the toebox of the East L.A. Kobe VI.
9) YEAH, YOU ALREADY SAID THAT. Just making sure you noticed.
10) DIDN'T YOU SAY SOMETHING ABOUT AIR FORCE 1S? Yep. We're gonna give you all of that at once, though.
