Marc Dolce is a household name. At least in my house, he is. He's the man behind some of Nike's newest and hottest designs, from the Penny Hardaway line to the Lunar Force on the Air Force 1's and Cole Haan shoes. An innovative thinker, from Brooklyn (where else?) New York is now at the top of the sneaker culture alongside greats like Tinker Hatfield, Eric Avar, Jason Petrie, and Bruce Kilgore.
Above, Marc shares one of his first drawings of the Penny Posite. As you can see, he channeled energy from previous releases, like the Penny Zoom Rookie. Add that to his "futuristic" vision for Lil' Penny's new kicks, and you have what we now know to be an incredible formula.
The drawing above is where we see Marc bring in the Air Ups, which is one of Penny Hardaway's first pair of Kicks during his first run with the Orlando Magic. This is refreshing to see because, as a sneakerhead, you love to see a piece of history underlying a timeless shoe. One of Dolce's GREATEST creations, in my opinion, is the 1/2 Cents in the Orlando colorway. Combining all of Penny's great sneakers in one mold was nothing short of amazing. There has not been a shoe more comfortable than the 1/2 Cent. In an interview, Dolce said the "1/2 Cents were too heavy", but they were just right for me. I would buy those all over again. Back to the Lil' Penny's! Ha!
In the third drawing, Dolce breathes life into his drawing, giving it detail and color. This is where idea morphs into GREATNESS. We can see a hint of the Penny V's, which is a good look. But Dolce took it a level further. While giving a salute to Penny's signature line, and what he's been known for, Marc is taking a risk. A great one, at that. Knowing what Lil' Penny meant to the sneaker culture, the Hip-Hop community, and to basketball, giving him a new identity being embraced by a different generation is incredible.
They say those who are born in Brooklyn create some of the best things in life. Biggie, Jay-Z, Michael Jordan. Marc Dolce can definitely add his name to the list. The Lil' Penny Posites debut on May 17th. Cali "O" #TeamKickGame #LilPennyBack #NoDiggity
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