5 Reasons Why the Kobe 8 Mambacurials are the Best Release of 2013

5. Kobe 7

The Kobe 7 was not a great shoe. Stiff and bulky, it rarely made its way on local street courts. Covered in a thick textured plastic, the upper of the shoe had almost no give, and very few colorways made their way into the hearts of sneaker fanatics. Save the "What the," "Christmas Cheetah" and "Invisible Cloaks," the Kobe 7 had no widely released colorways that put the shoe over the top in the eyes of collectors. This gave us a reason to celebrate the Kobe 8--a lightweight, breathable shoe that was instantly more comfortable than the Kobe 7.

4. EM

Engineered mesh (or EM) is the saving grace of the Kobe 8. A material that is both durable and lightweight, it provides optimal air flow and increases on-court foot speed. The ability for the material to take on many different forms and shift with foot movement makes it one of the most unique materials found on the market today. Minimal amount of stitching is required to create a shoe with engineered mesh which creates a more fluid design throughout the shoe's upper, making it extremely appealing.

3. Colorway

The colorway of the Mamabacurials is extremely unique. The plum that fades ever so smoothly from the heel cup throughout the upper into a bright pink toe box is something that we'd never before seen on a basketball shoe. The lime swoosh extending from the toe box down the lateral side of the shoe gives it a "pop" that even the most subtle of sneaker lovers are bound to enjoy. Its black midsole against the transparent outsole, with lime green undertones, creates the perfect amount of contrast against the plum and pink upper. Even the Nike branding on the medial side of the shoe is perfectly placed to give it a fierce look.

2. Details

The Mambacurials have more detail embedded into them than almost any other shoe you'll find on the market today. Most people skip over a lot of the subtleties because of the bold colorway and fierce design that initially catches the eye, but the details are what create a great shoe in my opinion; and this shoe is full of them. Starting with the tongue, its embedded lace hole has a metallic silver KB24 (Kobe Bryant, #24). Also, notice that around the hole there is a square of shimmery clear matte paint. I can only assume that that represents the confetti after winning a championship. On the lateral side of the shoe, embedded into the EM are snake scales, as you would find on the outside of a Mamba. Moving on to the toe of the shoe, there are two more details created in the mesh. The first are what seems to be perfectly placed "fangs" which would represent the ferocious power and bite of the Mamba. And the other is another KB24 created by the EM directly under the base of the tongue. Lastly, the bottoms of the shoes are incredibly detailed. Through the transparent bottoms you can see individual blades of grass. These blades represent the inspiration of the shoe, the Mercurial soccer cleats, which leads me into the #1 reason why the Mambacurials are the best release of 2013...

1. Fusion

When people think of shoes and the word fusion most think of these:

An odd mix of two different shoes that come together without much real inspiration, like Sons of Mars or Spizikes. These two shoes are just a combination of shoes--a little of this, and a little of that. The Mambacurials, however, don't just take pieces of two different shoes and put them together--they combine the souls of both the Kobe 8 and the Mercurial together to create a unique piece of art. The Mambacurials pay heed to their inspiration by maintaining the colorway of a Mercurial and through the grass featured on the bottoms. The Mambacurials look like a complete shoe; as if it were designed to be itself, rather than looking like a mix of different shoes. This perfectly balanced inspiration/design combination is what tops off the Kobe 8 Mambacurials as the best release of 2013.

Thanks for reading--please feel free to comment and share!

@FunkMasterKicks