2009 - BEST OF THE BEST SNEAKERS

SBTG - SINGAPORE
BLACK MAMBA CUSTOMS

Early this year, my friend Patricia from Nike informed me that Kobe Bryant was scheduled to tour Asia and stop at Singapore. Nike wanted to present a national gift to the MVP, and I was really honored that they approached me to design a pair of one-offs for Kobe.

The awesome part of this project was that it fit right into my Varsity Bones collection, which revolved around ‘What if?' scenarios. Dennis and I pulled together the concept of ‘What if' Kobe Bryant had gone to DUKE University and played for the Blue Devils instead of joining the NBA after high school... What would the shoe look like? I got to meet Kobe and shook hands, the same hands that scored 81 points in 2006. Almost felt like I could nail 40 three-pointers in a row! When I presented the idea to him, Kobe replied, ‘That's what's up!'

The Black Mamba Dunk High received overwhelming response, so much so we were invited to headline the KICKS LAB trade show in Tokyo, a perfect opportunity to launch a special Black Mamba Dunk Low (Away Edition). My brilliant intern Bryan even made a parody video of Kobe jumping over an Aston Martin, to which I jumped over my friend Rohit's Lamborghini Gallardo Spider. The Japanese loved it and the President of Singapore also happened to be there when we filmed! Props to Nick, Juffrie, and Melvin for helping to make all this a reality. Aside from all the fun and getting to meet Kobe, the Black Mamba has got to be my Best of the Best for 2009 because it brought so many people together and it left them with so much power.

Now that's what's up!