Packer Shoes x Reebok Kamikaze II: Remember the Chili Pepper

The idea of the “b-side” sneaker design has been around for a while, also coming in the form of “flip” or “un” or “remix” editions, wherein an original colorway is reworked into an opposite or alternate version. Sometimes it can be as straightforward as reversing the shoe’s colorblocking, while others can be more conceptual sequels. There’s also no set formula for the timing of when the initial yin shoe gets its homage-paying yang follow-up. In most cases, these b-side editions came about as tributes to classic colorways, but nowadays it’s not unheard of that they can be designed right alongside the originals to set things up in advance for a premeditated one-two punch.

The danger in doing things that way is that your Part 1 installment needs to make a pretty immediate impact for your Part 2 to have the desired effect. Luckily for Packer Shoes and their duo of 1996 All-Star Game-inspired Reebok Kamikaze IIs, that shouldn’t be a problem. There was a great response to the first go-around and still plenty of nostalgia left in the air when it comes to ’90s basketball and the Reebok models of that era. With the ’96 All-Star Weekend taking place in San Antonio, the players’ uniforms featured a hot pink chili pepper graphic as a nod to the prized crop of the host city, so the Packer crew took that idea and ran with it as their core theme across two different colorways of Shawn Kemp’s beloved Kamikaze II model.

The first version released back in early August, done up in a clean gradient grey with accents informed by the ’96 All-Star gear, which of course received its palette from the bright color splashes of the classic Spurs logo. While the chili pepper was present in the design, appearing on the tongue and heel as part of the Vector branding and again on the insole graphics, it was more of a

subtle complementary touch. For the b-side edition, Packer Shoes has created a more literal translation of the theme, transforming the Kamikaze II into an actual chili pepper, featuring vibrant shades of red and orange spread over a variety of premium materials, and topped of with hits of electric lime green to represent the stem.

According to store owner, Mike Packer, the focal point from the beginning was the “Remember the Alamo” version, but the urge to do a limited run of a second “Chili Pepper” pair was too enticing to resist. The “Chili Pepper” concept was one of the first color-mock-ups they explored, and while it was initially deemed to be too loud and was passed over for the “Alamo” color scheme, it seemed

like too much fun to ignore, so they decided to bring it to life after all as a follow-up installment, scaling back the quantities and distribution significantly from the first drop. The Chili Peppers are set to drop exclusively at Packer Shoes both in-store and online this Friday, December 13th, but before they do, we’ve got a detailed look for you in the pages ahead.