John Elliott’s latest Nike collaboration has just landed at Foot District! The lauded menswear designer has treated us to a fresh make-up of the LeBron James x John Elliott Icon QS, this time in ‘Parachute Beige’. To coincide with this limited-edition Quickstrike release, we’ve wound back the clock to reflect on the origins and evolution of the fruitful collaborative partnership between Elliott and the man rightfully known as King James.
Youthful Aspirations
LeBron came to Elliott’s attention long before the two officially kicked off their collaborative relationship. In fact, Elliott recalls huddling around the TV with friends in his college days to watch LeBron play when the four-time MVP was still only in high school. Needless to say, Elliott, as a member of his college’s junior basketball team at the time, was blown away by LeBron’s performance. He was so impressed that he bought a pair of Nike Zoom Generations, LeBron’s debut signature sneaker, when a young King James hit the big league. This marked the first time that Elliott can recall ever purchasing a shoe made for someone younger than him.
The Black Mask
By 2014, Elliott had long given up his NBA dreams and had begun making serious waves in the menswear market. He still continued to follow LeBron’s exploits however and one game in particular made a distinct impression: the controversial ‘Black Mask’ game. On February 27, 2014, LeBron stepped on to the court sporting a distinctly sinister-looking carbon fibre mask to the protect his newly broken nose. That game, despite the injury hidden behind the mask, LeBron racked up a staggering 31 points against the Knicks to secure victory for the Heat. Following the game, officials determined that LeBron was no longer allowed to wear a black mask on court – and we haven’t seen another on court since – but its union of seriousness and swagger encapsulated the essence of LeBron in Elliott’s eyes.
Out of the blue, that same year, Elliott would receive a call from LeBron’s stylist. Much like how Elliott was impressed by LeBron’s skills in high school, LeBron was impressed by Elliott’s work – even though his brand was still in its infancy at the time, operating out of ‘a satellite room in a warehouse in Vernon, California’. LeBron and Elliott would meet for the first time at an after-party in LA later that year.
iD Origins
The following year, in 2015, Elliott would present his debut fashion show at New York Fashion Week. Inspired by the ‘Black Mask’ game, Elliott chose to honour King James on the runway with an attention-grabbing make-up of his current signature shoe at the time: the LeBron 12. The special edition was almost entirely white, save for glow-in-the-dark outsoles for pop. A black/olive colourway was also reported on the runway, but it was the crispier pair of the two that truly drove the internet into a frenzy – especially after Nike offered the SMU on their iD platform. NIKEiD users were granted a limited window to get their hands on the clean LeBron 12s, with the added ability to customise them using iD options if they so desired
Making Things Official
Although the iD offerings were technically the first footwear collaboration between LeBron James and John Elliott, the duo’s first true collab would drop the following year, in 2016. To celebrate the launch of Nike’s new Soho store in New York City, Elliott prepared a special version of the LeBron Soldier X. Elliott’s design upheld the crisp aesthetic focus of his LeBron 12 – along with its glow-in-the-dark outsoles – but added plenty of extra special details, such as sublimation printing and reflective 3M accents. He also added a juicy hit of orange to the midsole forefoot for just a hint of colour.
An Iconic Collaboration
Following the success of the LeBron 12 and Soldier X – and with a little more time for development – Elliott would go all out for his next Nike release, debuting a brand new silhouette, in 2018, dubbed the LeBron James x John Elliott Icon QS. According to Elliott, the development behind the Icon QS saw his team ‘able to use Nike expertise to take the elements of our brand that [LeBron] was most attracted to, and think about them in a way that was built for him.” The Icon QS repurposes the midsole tooling from the LeBron 8, reinterpreting the performance basketball shoe with a focus on lifestyle versatility. It is a true testament to the combined talents of the three powerful forces behind its creation: John Elliot, LeBron James and Nike.
The Nike LeBron James x John Elliott Icon QS ‘Parachute Beige’ coming soon, both in-store and online. Stock is strictly limited – and there’s not many to go around – so make sure you cop your pair while you can!