Limited-edition basketballs styled by top urban designers

Urban sportswear company K1X has unveiled its range of four designer basketballs. The 4 Elements basketball collection is limited to 444 units only, with the final 'Earth' ball officially revealed mid-January and the range available at selected outlets from January 21.

Graphic designer Bill McMullen was approached to illustrate the element of fire. McMullen came to fame for his art direction for alternative hip-hop group The Beastie Boys and his work extends to clothing, packaging, toys and music videos.

The publishers of design and style series FrankBook, Frank151 teamed up with graffiti legend Wayne Roberts to produce the air-themed ball. Wayne Roberts is better known among graffiti artists as Stay High 149 and is perhaps the most influential street writer coming out of 1970s New York.

German-born designer and art director Thomas Marecki made full use of a water theme, and it was British-Mauritian artist, graffitist and exhibitor Mode2 who handled earth.

The basketballs, created in conjunction with K1X' new 4 Elements line of clothing, will sell for €50 in Europe and are expected to retail at $60 in the USA