How much choice do you need? Well, you can figure that out yourself thanks to NIKEiD, which is offering an unprecedented 5 billion design variations of its Nike Zoom Kobe IV, basketball star Kobe Bryant’s fourth shoe with the brand. Aside from selecting color variations on 11 different parts of the sneaker, buyers can specify materials and patterns, as well as add customized IDs to the sneakers’ collars and heels. (Check out my version above, with its reptile patent tip and heel in laser blue, quarter and tongue in midnight navy, and a synthetic leather vamp in good ole black!) The kicks have their usual performance bells, including the thin, superstrong Flywire nylon fibers that support the feet in the upper portion of the shoes. Oh, and the sneakers weigh only 11.6 ounces each, a new record for Nike. But, come on, it’s the crazy amount of mass customization options that’s the big winner. The Kobe IV won’t be in stores until Feb. 1, but Nike is selling 24 pairs online each day until then.
