Who would have thought that an animated movie about talking cars and the saying “Kachow” would have such a chokehold on society? Not me, but here we are. Since the movie’s release in 2006, the franchise has had countless spinoffs, spanning from games to series and shorts. Cars have finally broken into another pop culture sphere, the sneaker space, with these “Lightning McQueen” x Nike SB Dunk Low custom sneakers by @dope_don_designs.
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One of the most liked sneakers on the custom artist’s Instagram page, Lightning McQueen, has over 325K likes and still appears to be climbing. While the sneakers climb the ladder to fame, let’s look at some of the finer details of the pair.
Starting from the bottom of the sneakers, the outsole is a stunning black rubber that contrasts the rest of the otherwise bright sneaker, representing Lightning McQueen’s tires. While being red rubber, the midsole seamlessly matches the rest of the bright red sneakers. However, the rubber texture does make them appear an ever-so-slightly different shade of red.
The majority of the upper is blanketed in red, much like Lightning McQueen’s own exterior, with red making up all the elements of the sneaker, like the perforated toe box, the mudguard, the quarter, the lace stays, the heel counter, and even the tongue and laces. Just like with the charismatic character, the aesthetic of the sneakers comes in with the branding and stickers.
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Speaking of branding, stickers and details, let’s look at everything on the sneakers. Starting at the front, we see the signature pearly white smile of Lightning McQueen decorating the front of the mudguard before transitioning to include these lights that aren’t natural but just stickers.
The Nike Swoosh logo that would usually decorate the quarter of the sneaker had been replaced by Lightning McQueen’s signature lightning bolt and his racing number, 95, emblazoned brightly on the side. The lightning bolt transitions to golden flames, shadowed with dark red flame designs.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Lightning McQueen without his sponsorship with Rust-eze Medicated Bumper Ointment, one of the only sponsors that the racecar is open about. With so much red and yellow dominating the car, the little brake lights on the back are barely perceptible next to the Rust-eze sponsorship sticker. Still, the details have been noticed in the creation process of these sneakers.
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With so few other colours represented throughout the sneakers, the little pop of blue on the tongue is a welcome sight, with blue, white, and red representing Lightning McQueen’s eyes. The inner lining of the sneakers is white to match the white of McQueen’s eyes and his pearly white teeth.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like @dope_don_designs has added this pair of sneakers to the pre-order options on the Strike Collective website, but here’s to hoping that because of the incredibly positive response, it’s only a matter of time.
