A first look at the Nike Kobe XI from the Nike Vault in Los Angeles. Find me SNAPCHAT ► Kustoo ►SUBSCRIBE: null What’s up guys it’s Jacques Slade and today I took a trip to the Nike Vault for a first look at the Kobe XI. Designed by Eric Avar, the model is the next step in the shoes evolution and pushes the envelope on what you expect from a basketball shoe. As Nike is putting it, it is innovation simplified. Without wasting anytime, the first thing you will notice about the shoe is the height. While Kobe did start going low on Kobe 4, the Kobe 11 drops the shoe even lower. The inspiration started back the with soccer shoes and continues today, no need to worry though as the heel counter is just as strong as ever. The next thing you will notice about the shoe is the outsole. The outsole is fully transparent in parts and has been designed to work on a variety of surfaces. While that does seem like a small thing, you can literally see through to the midsole which brings us to the next part of the shoe, the drop in midsole. Long time fans of the Kobe line will remember the drop-in Lunar midsole for the Kobe 7. It returns again on the Kobe XI but this time it has been segmented at the toe to give a more natural feel. In addition to the Lunar, Nike has also includes a Zoom unit at the heel which provides some responsiveness but also give some impact protection. All of which can be seen through the outsole. Moving on to the upper, Nike makes Flyknit official with the Kobe XI and it will launch alongside the first colorway of the shoe. Taking into account the needs and movements of a basketball player, the Flyknit has been updated to include TPU or Thermoplastic Polyurethane. By using this in addition to the tradition yarn used in Flyknit, it give the material a superior strength that can stand the rigors of the basketball court. In essence, the layer that that was on the Kobe 9 and 10 are gone and the new version of Flyknit provides the lock-down that you need. In total, we have a new outsole, the drop in Lunar midsole with Zoom at the heel, and a reconstructed version of Flyknit. As far as launch dates go, expect the first colorway, dubbed achilles heel, to release on January 9th for $200 and the second Black and white colorway you saw to release on January 27th. So let me know what you guys think about the Kobe XI down below I am Jacques Slade, Live from the Nike Vault in Los Angeles and as always, I appreciate you. I’ll see you soon. TWITTER ► http://bit.ly/11Nw0oo INSTA ► http://bit.ly/19jV3FT Jacques 'Kustoo' Slade highlights daily updates and reviews on the best performance, lifestyle, and retro sneakers in Home of Today in Sneaks and The Week in Sneaks. Currently a contributing editor at Complex (and having previously worked Kicksonfire and NiceKicks), you don't need to look any further for best news coverage of the biggest footwear brands. Stories I've written for Complex Magazine: http://bit.ly/15lNx9e