A Breakdown of Kanye West's Footwear Influence

Sneakers News has broken down sneaker-by-sneaker why Kanye has been a big influence in the sneaker culture....and I'd have to agree with every point they made.  Kanye West is simply one of the biggest influencers in pop AND sneaker culture.  He's swagger and style always filters down into mainstream America.  If it wasn't for him, most of these high fashion footwear brands wouldn't be on the map.  Click the link below to read more in depth about it.

A Sneaker-By-Sneaker Breakdown of Kanye West's Footwear Influence

Nike Kobe 9 Elite

And here it is.  The anticipated Kobe 9 Elite.  This boxing...oops, I mean basketball shoe is Kobe's next signature sneaker.  Designed by the infamous Eric Avar, the design features three of Nike's top technologies: Flywire, Flyknit, and Lunarlon.  

I have to say, this shoe is not my favorite design by Eric Avar.  This has to grow on me.  I'm looking forward to seeing more colorways of it because this "Masterpiece" colorway, as Nike calls it, is a bit much.  One cool element are the red stitch lines in the rear representing Kobe's sutures of his achilles surgery.  Other than that, I'm not truly impressed by the design.

There's one thing about this design that is guaranteed.  You will either hate and love it!  What are your thoughts??  Click the link below to view more photos and read more about the story behind the design via SneakerNews.

Nike Kobe 9 Elite