Nike Bandulu x Nike Kyrie 5 EP 'Embroidered Splatters'
Colorway: light bone/green-red · Style code: CK5837-100 · Release date: July 29, 2019 · Price: $318 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: Bandulu x Nike Kyrie 5 'Embroidered Splatters' (CK5836-100) · Nike Kyrie 5 Bandulu Sneakers (CQ4326-100) · Bandulu x Nike Kyrie 5 PS 'Embroidered Splatters' (CQ9341-100)
Bandulu Street Couture is Pat Peltier's operation out of Boston, and its method is addition and subtraction on garments that already exist: vintage sportswear is taken apart, hand-treated and rebuilt one piece at a time. That approach does not scale, which is what makes a mass-produced version interesting.
The answer on the Kyrie was embroidery. The paint splatters scattered across the beige mesh upper are stitched rather than sprayed, which reproduces a handmade gesture at production volume and gives the marks a raised texture a print would not have.
Supporting details carry the same idea: label branding on the tongue, a light green neoprene collar, and a lace cage etched with the player's name. It arrived in the summer of 2019.