ADIDAS CONSORTIUM S.E. - PACKER X SOLEBOX

The Sneaker Exchange 2017 challenges adidas Consortium’s retail partners to overcome geographical distance and cultural differences to find common ground and collaborate on a footwear pack.

The November installation of the Sneaker Exchange comes from New Jersey’s Packer Shoes and Berlin’s Solebox. Both luminaries in their respective territories, Packer and Solebox actually embrace aforementioned geographical distance and the space that separates them. They use the famous Silfra Rift, a point on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, as the basis for their UltraBOOST MID and an Energy Boost.

The visual inspiration for the sneaker pack is The Silfra Rift, and inland lake in Island. Its crystal clear water rises from deep within the earth and offers great underwater visibility with a rich array of blue tones.

The Primeknit upper on both models echoes air bubbles rising to the water’s surface, while the structure on the BOOST midsole continues a similar texture. The UltraBOOST MID is delivered in a darker Primeknit, capturing the essence of the deeper waters. The Energy Boost is lighter and the translucent overlay adds to the model’s striking, aquatic gradient.

At the Silfra Rift, divers are able to touch the North American and Eurasian plates at the same time. Besides the visual references the shoes also offer actual data: the depth chart lines of the shelf can be found on the grosgrain stripe detailing while precise co-ordinates – longitude/latitude - of each store’s location are imprinted on both models, too.

During the Sneaker Exchange it has become custom for partners to brand one shoe, applying logos and familiar detailing. Here, Packer Shoes and Solebox develop this notion further: they have their model, but the stores’ logos use each other’s typeface. A smart way to commemorate the collaboration.

With most installations of the Sneaker Exchange 2017, Solebox and Packer Shoes find beauty in nature and translate it across an elegant, contemporary sneaker pack.