The Protro Ethos
Chapter 1
Every great story is rooted in concept, and every great concept is born from the mind of an individual, or group of individuals, who dared to dream, to mine their spirits for inspiration, to dedicate themselves to craft, and to design the future. As an ex-hooper and now creative director, when I stepped foot on Nike’s campus for the first time this summer, I was immediately immersed in the world of Protro. The story of Kobe Protro began in 2018, when the Nike team set out to honor the Kobe signature line while the once-innovative styles could continue to stand the test of time. The resulting Kobe 1 Protro merged performance and retro, capturing the nostalgia of the original design while improving upon key details to maintain a competitive edge on the court. It is this ethos that would serve as the framework of every Protro release from that point forward.
In conversation with Nike Basketball Product Line Manager Indiana “Indy” Ashford, I was able to explore the legend of the Kobe Protro line, the design challenge that accompanied the development process, and how the concept has been applied to one of the most cherished colorway stories. I learned that the Kobe 8 Protro ‘Mambacurial’ of today is rooted in the ‘Mercurial’ of yesterday, that in this story, basketball is influenced by football, and that Nike and its pristine, sprawling campus are a mirror of the sneaker: swathed in decades of history, but ever-evolving, with unwavering focus on the future.
From the beginning, the Protro concept prioritized preserving the original designs, and improving within that framework using today’s available technology. According to Ashford. “If we can find a material or makeup that is better playable than the original version, more breathable, more flexible, better fitting for the foot, that’s what we start with. Ideally, we pick materials that both perform and look good aesthetically on a shoe.” By obsessing feedback and looking at every detail for that extra advantage, Protro exemplifies the ongoing innovation and commitment to the mindset known as the Mamba Mentality. Below, a first-person look at Chapter 1 & the Phillip H. Knight Campus captured throughout the day during my visit.
