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The relationship between Jay Z and Kanye West may have once reached feud status, but it wasn't always that way. Not only did West’s production make it onto some of Hov’s most memorable work, but their joint album, Watch the Throne, and the ensuing tour, have gone down as high points in the careers of both.
At the height of the tour, prior to their Miami performance, the duo was gifted a very special sneaker to commemorate the occasion by then-member of the Miami Heat LeBron James. Back in 2012, Sole Collector spoke to one of the individuals behind the shoe, then-graphic designer and current design director at Nike, Erick Goto.
In honor of the album’s seventh anniversary, Sole Collector is remembering the very special "Watch the Throne" LeBron 9 with a behind-the-scenes look of all the details that went into it.
How It Happened
“It was a project that was a really quick turn. We had been asked by [Nike] sports marketing to create something that was a gift from LeBron for Kanye and Jay. The original request was definitely to play off of gold. Everyone knows the album cover was gold and had a lot of style to it. We did some more digging and looked around, and we saw that the gold version was actually originally a print created by Riccardo Tisci from Givenchy." — Goto
The Symbolism
"We really looked to that aesthetic of geometric patterns and flowers, and wanted to integrate nature into a cool print. You’ll see a lot of detailing in the lining and laces, and all of the flowers that we chose are actually the state flowers of each of the guys. We wanted to tie it in to all of them somehow. Jay Z, being from New York, has the rose. Kanye, from Chicago, had the violet for Illinois. LeBron has the carnation for Ohio.” — Goto
Watch the Jewels
“There’s a lot of details, like the gold piece. We worked with Gabriel Urist out of New York, and he’s got a studio in Brooklyn...We did some sketching on what this piece could become, and he showed us how to carve wax and what his process is like. That led us to this spiky jewel aesthetic, obviously playing off of the gold album cover. The molding represents all of the flowers, and the spikes really pull from that geometric inspiration.” — Goto
Throw It in the Bag
According to Goto, the entertainers each received their pairs in customized Nike Sportswear bags, complete with Watch the Throne lasered detailing.
The Concert
“The idea of this piece was more about what might be visible on stage, and having a 'WTF?' moment when they walk out to spark a reaction. We wanted something that could shine once the lights were on them. [Nike LeBron designer] Jason Petrie posted a photo on Facebook of them at the concert, and when I saw it, you notice that it’s all dark in the crowd, and all you see is that gold piece shining." — Goto