With the Nike LeBron 15 finally set to make its retail debut on Oct. 17 in the "Ghost" colorway, Jason Petrie sat down with Nike News to discuss the design process of LeBron James' latest signature model.
Petrie, who has designed every signature sneaker in the line since the LeBron 7, says that he is constantly looking for new ways to build onto the LeBron lineage each year while maintaining three specific rules.
"We have three adages: 'Lock me down so I can fly,' which came straight from LeBron; 'Protect me from myself,' which relates to how we build for season-long comfort; and 'Make me light.' We try to keep those rules steady and make sure that we address them in all of his products," Petrie tells Nike News.
The most obvious new feature to this year's pair is the Battleknit upper, a feature that Petrie says he and LeBron have been trying to implement into the design for a few years now. "We always want the overall vibe of LeBron’s shoe to be aggressive, stylish, modern and classic," says Petrie. "We let that organic nature of the knit take us to that really aggressive diamond chainmail type of look."
The Battleknit iteration of Flyknit was created specifically for LeBron in an effort to combine the unique fit of a Flyknit shoe with added durability to compliment his play style on the court. Along with the new upper, the model also boasts a new Air unit that combines Air Max and Zoom Air cushioning.
The article also gave a first look at Petrie's original sketches, sketches for the upcoming "Ghost" and "Ashes" colorways, and a never-before-seen black pair with volt accents. Ushering in the new model, the Nike LeBron 15 "Ghost" releases Oct. 17 for $185.
