Sneaker News 
In an industry dominated by massive mainstream brands, California-based Brandblack joins the wild fray armed with high-tech design and a signature NBA athlete that, in many ways, is a reflection of the brand. Jamal Crawford, who joined the upstart company over two years ago, isn’t your average signature star. Then again, Brandblack isn’t your average sneaker company. At the head of the company is designer David Raysse, whose resume includes adidas, Fila, and Skechers, and creative director Billy Dill, also a veteran of the footwear industry. Together, they forged the “indie” footwear label with the idea of bringing pure products to the forefront without any frills of marketing and superfluity that prove to be useless on a basketball court. After all, they are a self-defined “futurist” performance brand, and the design you see here lives up to that title.
Jamal is a lot like Raysse and Dill in that both have played major roles for other labels /teams in the past, but are only recently finding complete harmony within their surroundings. Crawford’s career has spanned seven teams, the most recent and perhaps final destination with the Clippers. His allegiance with Brandblack makes simple sense; both hail from the West Coast, and both look to bring a huge victory to California from a different vantage point. Crawford’s flashy array of moves have made him a spark-plug whenever he’s on the floor, but also a resourceful wear-test subject; his game matches the performance function of the J.Crossover II, which emphasizes Lightweight, Support, Cushioning, Traction, and Transition.
About a decade ago, a growing trend in which NBA players not quite on that superstar tier looked beyond the big brands to Chinese companies. Crawford went against that grain, sought the locally grown company, and made a commitment with Brandblack to not only help elevate the brand awareness, but to play an integral role in their flagship product. The J.Crossover II features a lightweight and responsive ride complete with a knit forefoot for added flexibility yet a stable synthetic collar for a lockdown fit where it matters most. The inner workings of the shoe utilizes a one-piece articulated sock while a unique cushion system known as “Jet-Lon”, which the brand claims to outperform classic EVA. The traction is key as well; not everyone plays on professional-grade, polished courts, so the grip was tested on courts that the public would likely to play on.
Speaking purely on the design – have you seen anything like it? While it’s difficult to reinvent the basketball shoe during this advanced stage of the industry, BrandBlack has brought a dish to the table that, quite frankly, has piqued the interest of sneakerheads and basketball fans alike. The retail price of $140 competes with other brands, and while we wait for Crawford to break in his new shoes on the court, the J.Crossover II has the chops to make noise in the level it see fits (and let’s not forget that the J.Crossover II sold out immediately at smaller “quickstrike” releases in recent months). With great LA Clippers-inspired colorways as well as a “Futurelegends” apparel line coming during the Spring/Summer season, it’s clear that whatever success Brandblack will get won’t be a stroke of luck.
The BrandBlack J.Crossover II is available March 15th at select retailers and online at www.brandblack.com for $140.
Retailers stocking the J.Crossover II: Alumni of NY, American Rag, Bait, Blends, Bodega, Conveyor Fred Segal, Dope Los Angeles, Feature Las Vegas, Finish Line, Hypebeast, Major, Next, Packer Shoes, Rime, NK Sweden, Revolve Clothing, Rise 45, Sneakersnstuff, Unknwn, Storm, Wish, Without Walls, Xhibition
