3 days ago
8
Coinciding with Irving’s 33rd birthday, ANTA Philippines unveiled the “KAI 2” of his signature shoe line with new colorways named “Solar Return” (left) and "Muse"
ANTA Philippines
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino basketball players and fans got a glimpse of the new sneaker by NBA superstar Kyrie “Chief Hélà” Irving of the Dallas Mavericks for ANTA during its grand launch over the weekend at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque City.
Coinciding with Irving’s 33rd birthday, ANTA Philippines unveiled the “KAI 2” of his signature shoe line with new colorways named “Muse” and “Solar Return”, which players from the Philippine professional and collegiate leagues got to see and try on the court firsthand.
Anton Asistio of Rain or Shine, Peter Alfaro and James Laput of Magnolia, Justin Chua of Blackwater, former PBA player and five-time champion Nico Salva along with the standouts from San Beda, Adamson, UST and other top collegiate schools graced the launch.
Filipino athletes also participated in a 3-point shootout won by San Beda’s Yukien Andrada as an Irving-inspired exhibit named KAI Space Manila served as the side highlight.
Serving as parts of the finale are the ISAHAN 1-on-1 tournament, dunk contest, live DJ sets, live graffiti art by artist JP Pininga, and performances by different acts, to celebrate a grand launch of Irving’s highly anticipated second sneaker line.
Boasting vibrant iterations and intricate design by Irving himself as ANTA’s Chief Creative Officer, KAI 2 comes on the heels of a successful KAI 1 release last year and the limited launch of the KAI 2 “Artist On Court” colorway in the country earlier this month at the Ayala Malls Feliz in Pasig City.
KAI 2, the second offering from Irving and ANTA’s flagship basketball signature sneaker, champions the beliefs of the tribe, its strength and unity that’s synonymous to his miraculous go-ahead stepback 3-pointer in the 2016 NBA Finals to help the Cleveland Cavaliers win their first-ever NBA title in 2016.
With Irving considered as one of the greatest ball handlers of all time, all of these are encapsulated in the KAI 2 “Muse”, while “Solar Return” celebrates the on-court magician’s 33rd birthday on March 23 and his journey done through an astrological outlet that symbolizes his personal growth and enlightenment. The name of the colorway then stems from the astrological concept of the Sun returning to its birth stage, commemorating Irving’s birthday.
For "Muse", its upper is draped in black with hits of blue, red, and white with the mantra of “I AM MY OWN MUSE” stitched on the heel. The midsole then features a black-to-white gradient while the outsole features an icy, translucent rubber. Capping it off is a Holographic TPU at the forefoot.
In the “Solar Return” colorway, the base of the upper is glittered with black with a “Muse” iteration. The upper is also covered in stitches of white, orange, light blue, and purple for a reference to daylight. The heel sports a teal and magenta embroidered with ethnic designs, topping it off with a white midsole and a solid rubber outsole featuring black and magenta colors for cosmic pattern.
But more than its world-class designs and meaningful concepts, KAI 2 boasts a top-of-the-class shoe technology with a sole focus on basketball performance, different from lifestyle aspects in the “Artist On Court” colorway.
Both pairs sport a high-strength engineered mesh upper, substituted from the suede and nubuck materials on the first colorway, along with Nitroedge-infused midsoles.
The ANTA KAI 2 “Muse” and “Solar Return” are both available now for a retail price of P7,995. Visit Ayala Malls Manila Bay, Pasay City or the ANTA store in SM Megamall, Mandaluyong to get a pair today. Both pairs will be available at other ANTA retail stores nationwide at a later date.
