Nike's newest collection of sneakers called the 'Nike Basketball Toy Collection' is inspired by some of the biggest NBA stars' favorite childhood toys. Each model will be released a week at a time leading up tp Christmas. To gather inspiration for the sneakers, Nike asked stars like Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Kevin Durant what their favorite toy was growing up and from this answer a sneaker was designed.
The first shoe released was Lebron's shoe inspired by a Little Tykes Basketball Hoop. The colorways from the shoe match the iconic red and blue kid's hoop. Kobe's purple sneaker was inspired by his favorite comic book character 'He-Man,' and Kevin Durant's sneaker design is based off of Matchbox Cars. More whimsical toy-focused shoes will become available in the coming weeks.
Toy-Themed Basketball Shoes
The Nike Basketball Toy Collection is Inspired by NBA Stars' Childhood
Trend Themes
1. Toy-themed Sneaker Collections - Creating basketball sneakers inspired by NBA stars' childhood toys presents an opportunity for disruptive innovation in the sneaker industry.
2. Athlete Endorsements - Exploring athletes' childhood interests and designing products around them opens up potential for disruptive innovation in athlete endorsement deals.
3. Nostalgic Marketing - Utilizing nostalgia and childhood memories as a marketing strategy can lead to disruptive innovation in brand engagement and customer loyalty.
Industry Implications
1. Footwear - Integrating toy-themed designs into basketball shoes disrupts traditional footwear aesthetics and expands creative possibilities in the footwear industry.
2. Sports Apparel - Collaborating with NBA stars to create toy-themed sneaker collections provides an opportunity for disruptive innovation in sports apparel branding and product development.
3. Toy Industry - Partnering with sneaker brands to bring iconic childhood toys to life through footwear presents a disruptive innovation opportunity within the toy industry.