Saturday, October 18, 2003

Here's a class act

Kobe's Angels
Thirteen-year-old boys dream of girls like these. American girls, clean-scrubbed, innocent faces traveling in an even dozen, cruising the streets in wifebeaters, underwear and the occasional trucker hat. They are young, hard-bodied vixens who are students, servers, surfers and just plain local hotties, OC’s version of barely legal Girls Gone Wild with shirts on. And they are everywhere: spreading out through the Orange County swap meet, walking down Main Street in Huntington Beach, guzzling beer at the International Street Fair in Orange.

They call themselves the Kobe Girls–"Kobe" as in "Bryant." What’s intriguing about the girls’ fashions–other than the almost complete lack thereof–is what’s emblazoned across their private parts. The girls are promoting the merchandise for and website SaveKobe.com.
And what's the story behind this "spontaneous " outpouring?
After other business failures, two guys with an entrepreneurial air that reminds you of the young Joe and Gavin Maloof (owners of the Sacramento Kings), Michael McClain of Newport Beach and Joey Franco of Anaheim Hills came up with the idea while brainstorming strategies to "show support for Kobe and make money off of it."
But the boys don't have all their eggs in one basket. Besides the underwear and amateur cheesecake at SaveKobe.com, we are entranced to find:
And even after the trial is over, McClain and Franco say they are making plans for their next projects, including an expanded female-clothing line and a contingency plan if Kobe is convicted: the Save Kobe crew has purchased the domain for ParoleKobe.com.