Miami in December is humidity and Christmas trees, a strange combination during the 80° daytime. But come nightfall, the temperatures cool and the holiday lighting dances in the South Beach winds. Facts, this is why Li-Ning flew us down to Florida–the nighttime and the breeze and the water, it all adds up to a unique scene. Plus, of course, we had to see the sneakers.
Dwyane Wade unveiled his newest signature silhouette in China before the 2017-18 campaign tipped off and he’s been rocking the Way of Wade 6 all season.
Li-Ning hosted us in the 305 for the official stateside introduction of the Way of Wade 6 and all the colorways that it’s dropping in. With that one-of-a-kind Miami weather as a backdrop, Li-Ning brought us to an our outdoor restaurant a few blocks from the water to run us through all the WoW6 info.
Dwyane Wade’s sixth sneaker is built with Li-Ning’s Cloud midsole, a forefoot Drive Foam unit and another cushion unit in the heel. It transitions to the carbon fiber midfoot strap that’s complemented by a carbon fiber plate that runs across the outsole. Li-Ning also used a knitted upper that’s given them room for some fire colorways.
The finishing details on the 6 include 15 circles on the lateral logo, representing Wade’s 15 years in the League. It also features two numbers on the medial side of each shoe that calls out the coordinates of the Li-Ning headquarters in Beijing and Wade’s hometown of Chicago, Illinois.
The most innovative part of the WoW6 is the sneaker’s Pressure Force. Li-Ning says that Pressure Force is “a change in shape on the bottom of the shoe, which occurs every time a players drives to the basket.”
In addition to the on-court WoW6, Li-Ning showed off two lifestyle models. The ultra-clean WoW6 Lifestyle strips the laces off the silhouette, relying on a completely knit upper with a sock-like collar. It features a full-length Cloud midsole that provides a premium ride. It’s received a limited stateside release in Miami so far, but stay tuned for more from the LS silhouette in the future.
The other silhouette we saw was the Essence 2, an eye-catching joint that was barely even released before it was sold out at The Edition Boutique at Art Basel. It has a one-piece knit upper and a block-like midsole unit. Wade rocked the shoe on his way to a game earlier this week.
Scroll through the gallery above to see all of the Way of Wade 6 colorways that are dropping this season, as well as Li-Ning’s distinctive off-court shoes.
Photos courtesy of Li-Ning
