Denim keeps rearing its head on sneakers under the Nike umbrella, appearing in three Levi’s collaborations in the last year alone, as well as several different in-line releases. Devin Booker’s second signature sneaker will soon join in the trend and with a deeper story for his alma mater.
The Nike Book 2 “Must Be the Denim” celebrates the 20th anniversary of the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team’s national title in 1996 by replicating the famous, or infamous, uniforms it wore that season. It joins this month’s revival of the Converse Cons Blue “Kentucky Denim,” a shoe made for the team and incorporating the material.
Faded denim defines the upper of the Book 2, and the rest of the sneaker features hits of proper Kentucky blue and white. Hibbett hosted an exclusive early release of the shoe early in February, and it’s now set for a wider release in March.
Kentucky’s denim uniforms were quite polarizing at the time, primarily because of the deviation from the school’s true color, but time has been kinder to them. The blue home kits used a pseudo-denim mesh because the material would be too heavy to play in, as confirmed by the players in testing prototypes, while the side panels on the white away uniforms were made of actual denim.
The original plan was to wear the denim kits for just one game, but the Wildcats ended playing in them for the rest of the season and didn’t lose a game in them after their Feb. 11 debut. This year, the team brought them back for a single game Feb. 7 to officially celebrate the title from 20 years ago.
The Nike Book 2 “Must Be the Denim” will release March 20 through Nike’s website and select third-party retailers. Pricing is set at $145.
Nike Book 2 “Must Be the Denim” (medial)
Nike Book 2 “Must Be the Denim” (above)
Nike Book 2 “Must Be the Denim” (heel)
