The shoe, Air Zoom Mystify, is adopted from the shoes that women’s tennis doubles stars Zheng Jie and Yan Zi originally wore in the Asian Games, while the one-of-a-kind design reflects many of their personal traits. The key colors of gold and red represent the Chinese National team and extend to them good wishes to win the gold medal. Each pair has one shoe featuring the color red and the other shoe gold. Inscribed at the back of Zheng Jie’s shoes is Chinese character “Zheng” in gold and “Yan” in white. While inscribed at the back of Yan Zi’s shoes is “Yan” in gold and “Zheng” in white. This design reflects their interdependent teamwork on the court and their close friendship off the court. The designer also added some unique elements after spending time with the athletes. Yan Zi , an avid fan of teddy bears, always carries a brown teddy bear with her wherever she plays. For Zheng Jie, the designer found there is always a small white teddy bear charm hanging on her bag, watching over her for luck. Because of these insights, the designer placed teddy bear graphics on the tongue of the shoes for Yan Zi, a cute brown teddy bear and for Zheng Jie, a chubby white one.
Of course with Nike shoes there is always a lot more to the story than meets the eye. The Air Zoom Mystify incorporates advanced technology that will help Zheng Jie and Yan Zi perform to the best of their abilities. Nike used lightweight synthetic materials for the shoe uppers in order to reduce weight. Heat Block technology and strategically placed ventilation holes help to increase breathability and reduce heat in targeted zones. Being tough competitors at a world class level, Zheng Jie and Yan Zi need footwear with excellent cushioning for their matches. The mid-sole of the Air Zoom Mystify is engineered with full length Phylon and with Zoom Air units in the heel and forefoot.
More photos below…
