Adidas debuted the second iteration of its record-setting Adizero Adios Pro running shoe this week.
The new shoe arrives roughly a year after its predecessor. In the Adizero Adios Pro’s first season, Adidas noted, Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir broke the women’s half marathon world record twice. Kibiwott Kandie, meanwhile, set the overall fastest time, shaving off 29 seconds from the previous record he held.
“Since stepping in to the Adizero Adios Pro last year, I ran my fastest ever time and broke world records in the process,” Jepchirchir said. “I proved to my family that all that time spent apart from them was worthwhile. Since then, I’ve been working closely with the Adidas Running team to identify areas that we can refine to help improve the new shoe.”
The Adizero Adios Pro 2, developed for “the world’s fastest distance road runners,” represents the culmination of that work. The shoe sports two layers of re-sculpted Lightstrike Pro midsole, revamped to support energy return. The signature EnergyRods return, now visible within the midsole, to deliver lightweight stiffness. This time, Adidas said it designed the carbon-infused technology for a more anatomically driven transition to limit energy loss.
An “ultra-lightweight,” partially recycled polyester Celermesh 2.0 upper—designed for speed, flexibility, breathability and support based on athlete data, Adidas said—covers the foot. The Adizero Adios Pro 2 also adds a Continental Rubber Outsole to the toe tip to create a traction zone for faster acceleration. Finally, a new lightweight heel construction keeps the foot tightly locked in, while softening the heel structure to increase comfort, Adidas said.
Adidas also launched the Adizero Boston 10 this week. Offering runners “the best of the Adizero Adios Pro 2,” the “versatile, every day running shoe” features the same Lightstrike Pro combined with a durable Lightstrike EVA midsole foam, Adidas said. The EnergyRods and Continental Rubber Outsole also make an appearance, it added, helping support every day, long-distance training runs.
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The Adizero Prime X continues Adidas’ new running collection. Described as “a boundary-breaking conceptual long-distance running shoe,” the design amplifies key features of the Adizero Adios Pro 2, Adidas said. The Lightstrike Pro midsole and EnergyRods remain, but stiffening blades that can “spring back” have been added within the 50-millimeter heel.
Finally, the Avanti Track Spike closes out the lineup. “Set to be worn by some of the world’s fastest on the biggest stage this summer,” the shoe is designed for race distances of 5,000 and 10,000 meters. The speed-centered design retains the EnergyRods, but switches to a glass fiber composition, “ensuring stiffness whilst adding flexibility for the track,” Adidas said. A rock climbing-inspired heel construction is placed around the back of the shoe to lock in the foot and create an anti-slip fit.
“With such a successful shoe in the first Adizero Adios Pro, it wasn’t about going back to the drawing board–it was about digesting all our athlete feedback in incredible detail, breaking down every single component of the shoe, and looking at where we can refine, optimise, and improve,” James Foster, vice president of product, Adidas Running, said in a statement.
The Adizero Adios Pro 2 and Adizero Prime X became available to Creative Club Members Wednesday and launched globally Friday. The Adizero Boston 10 debuted Friday on Adidas’ website and at select retail partners.
Adidas’ debuts new collaborations
Also this week, Adidas unveiled the second part of its collaborative collection with “Black-ish” actress Yara Shahidi. The expanded offering includes two footwear silhouettes: the Yara Shahidi Boston Super x Marathon sneaker, rendered with a green suede and mesh upper with yellow laces and stripes; and the Yara Shahidi Campus sneaker, which reimagines the performer’s Iranian and African-American heritage through a delicate floral pattern printed on a tonal soft leather upper, Adidas said.
The collaboration’s 1960s-inspired apparel collection features a green floral-patterned satin jumpsuit; a matching seersucker shirt and short set in both green floral print and yellow; green and yellow tracksuits; a yellow velvet hoodie; and a white graphic tee.
The second part of Adidas’ collaboration with Shahidi debuts June 23, a little more than a month after the first installment hit shelves. It will be available exclusively in North America through Adidas’ website and its Confirmed app, as well as at select retailers.
A few days later, Adidas plans to debut a new skate shoe from skateboarder Tyshawn Jones. A nod to Jones’ 2017 debut signature colorway, the Tyshawn Low features a white leather upper with green stripes and an added suede toe cap for extended durability. The shoe also carries “the same DNA” as the skateboarder’s 2019 Pro model, Adidas said, with an EVA midsole and an inner wrap providing continuous support and high-impact absorption. The Tyshawn Low also comes with a moisture-wicking PU sockliner created from recycled materials.
Adidas’ Tyshawn Low will debut June 26 on Adidas’ website and at select specialty skate retailers.
On Thursday, Adidas debuted the latest installment of its collaborative partnership with the men’s clothing brand Noah. A combination of classic archival Adidas looks and the New York label’s “quintessentially considered aesthetic language,” the collection “playfully oscillat[es] between sporting and workwear inspirations, the German footwear company said.
The collection’s apparel and accessories selection includes a navy French terry hoodie, a white cotton tee and co-branded cotton socks, as well as a matching white cotton workwear set consisting of a jacket and painter pants. Other items include shorts, track pants, a jacket and a cap, all in a matching floral design.
In footwear, the Noah Probound features a white mesh upper, gray suede overlays, blue stripes, a navy-and-red heel tab and co-branded tongue detailing. The other signature shoe, the Noah Red Laver Super, sports a rubber outsole, as well as a suede and recycled plastic upper.
Lego turns the tables on its Adidas collab
Adidas’ collaboration with the Lego, begun as a one-off for the footwear giant’s A-ZX series, expanded into a full-fledged collection last month. Consisting of six shoes—one for each of the primary Lego colors—the lineup took the original ZX8000 material composition and added a TPU heel counter designed to emulate the texture of Lego bricks.
Next month, the two unlikely partners will team up once again. This time, however, it won’t just be Adidas producing a Lego-inspired shoe. Instead, the same day the Adidas Originals Lego Superstar sneaker drops, the Danish toy company will be debuting a new product of its own, the 731-piece Lego Adidas Originals Superstar.
The Lego set produces one shoe—an extra 17 pieces allow the consumer to choose whether to make the right or left foot. The finished model measures 12 centimeters high, 27 centimeters long and 9 centimeters wide. Each set comes in an authentic shoe box and includes shoelaces, as well as a display stand and plaque.
“As a kid of the 80s and growing up in the 90s, the Superstar sneaker with its rich street art culture was such an iconic item, and that’s also when I got my first pair”, said Florian Müller, senior designer, Lego Group, said in a statement. “Thanks to the Superstar team at Adidas Originals it’s been a super collaborative process with valuable insights shared about the art of shoe making, and now we just look forward to seeing how fans will take to the model, customizing it in their own unique and wonderful ways.”
Adidas’ Lego-themed Superstar sneaker features the silhouette’s classic white and black leather construction. The brand’s iconic three stripes and the shoe’s toe and heel tab, however, are all designed to emulate the Lego brick pattern. The shoe will come in adult and kids sizing.
Both Lego’s Adidas Superstar set and Adidas’ Lego Superstar shoe are slated to debut July 1.