Source: adidas Originals ATRIC
I haven’t been excited by an adidas release in a long while, but this shoe with its fidget spinner outsole design (I know those aren’t fidget spinners, but they do look like em – Kanye shoulder shrug), is possibly the best release in the last year from the brand. Last year I discussed that adidas had a silhouette problem:
The three stripes had come to rely solely on shoes shaped like UB or NMD and the fatigue wasn’t something I noticed, the market noticed as well and adidas is on heavy promo in every model released. Even the recently dropped Prophere is now 69.99 in certain stores. It’s a disturbing trend for adidas and hints a serious issue that I discussed in an article on how resell informs the mainstream market. With the release of the ATRIC, that makes two products in a row that I’m excited about (The Kamanda). The problem is neither of these shoes will have a local release in my neck of the woods and it’s understandable.
adidas Originals Kamanda SS2018 is a Break Away From the Overused Running Silhouette
The ATRIC is back to what made adidas great in the last year. It’s a love it or hate silhouette that is both in your face, aggressive and laden with features for navigating the urban jungle. Made with a perfect spring summer merino wool knit, it gives the multi color option without the simplistic running shoe silo that’s been worn the f out. More important the blend of story telling behind the name reconnects adidas to the art ventures which played out so prominently the last year and a half:
In footwear, this culminates in the Atric F/22 PK model, a moccasin-inspired outdoor silhouette which takes its lead from vital adidas stories such as EQT and 2001’s Water Moccasin model. The shoe takes its name from an aperture setting in professional photography which creates crisp, focused images with a high depth of field – a principle that was replicated throughout the shoe’s design process.
The apparel and F-22 shoe has me amped to get my hands on them, but I like buying local and while I am excited about both the Kamanda and ATRIC, neither shoe would perform well in this region so I won’t get a chance to put them on. Which is important considering I put the Prophere on when it released and hated it immediately. Had I bought it online I would have returned them. While the ATRIC looks like it might have the same weight issue as the Prophere, I hope it doesn’t. The shoe is ridiculously dope and the apparel might be a bit much, but give me a tennis fit (like we wore in the 90s) and I’m killing the style with the ATRIC line.
