05-09-2018

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LeBron James Unveils “Harlem’s Fashion Row” Nike LeBron XVI »

LeBron James has revealed his newest Nike collaboration, inspired by his belief that “African-American women are some of the strongest people on earth.” And it is stunning. Celebrating the power of “some amazingly strong women” including his mother, wife and daughter, James’ HFR x LeBron 16 was unveiled at the Harlem Fashion Row Showcase Gala on Tuesday.

Harlem Fashion Row, the New York City-based fashion collective, was created in 2007 to showcase the work of multicultural designers, particularly from women who are impacting the community.

Recognizing HFR’s mission to provide a space for fashion designers of color to build profitable businesses, Nike and LeBron James asked the fashion collective to transform the original concept of the LeBron 16. HFR founder Brandice Daniels selected three designers to tackle the project – Kimberly Goldson, Felisha Noel and Undra Celeste Duncan – based on their previous work and passion for sport.

Meline Khatachourian, a Nike global basketball footwear designer, along with James’ longtime footwear designer Jason Petrie, worked together to lead the design process with HFR. The trio of HFR designers traveled to Nike World Headquarters to learn how a performance shoe was made before meeting back in New York City for a working design session.

“As someone who has a platform, because of what I do, I thought it was important to lend that platform to a group of people that I believe are under-recognized,” says James. “Being the son, husband and father of strong African American women, I felt like this was something I wanted to do for them and for all the strong women out there who are succeeding despite what might be stacked against them.”

The HFR x LeBron 16 releases September 7th in limited quantities as an exclusive on SNKRS in North America and on nike.com.