adidas Consortium Sneaker Exchange: Packer x Solebox

The Sneaker Exchange 2017 challenges adidas Consortium’s key international retail partners to overcome barriers in language, distance, and aesthetic to find common ground and collaborate on a footwear pack using some of the most revered silhouettes for the extensive adi-archive.

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 decided to embrace the geographical distance; using the space that separates them as the primary source of inspiration for their duo of sneakers. Drawing reference to the famous Silfra Rift - a point on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet - Packer Shoes and Solebox have created aquatic iterations of the UltraBOOST MID and the Energy Boost. Taking the Silfra Rift as the visual inspiration for the pack; 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 midnight black waters. The Energy Boost is lighter and the translucent overlay adds to the silhouette's striking, aquatic gradient.

At the Silfra Rift, divers are able to touch the North American and Eurasian plates at the same time, making this point of inspiration both visually and symbolically in tune with the ethos of the Sneaker Exchange programme. The partnership takes this one step further, adorning the shoes with real-time data: the depth chart lines of the shelf can be found on the grosgrain stripe detailing while the precise coordinates of each store’s location are imprinted on both models.

During the Sneaker Exchange, it has become custom for partners to brand one shoe each, applying logos and familiar detailing. Here, Packer Shoes and Solebox fully embrace the spirit of collaboration by using each other’s typeface for their on-shoe branding.

As with most installations of the Sneaker Exchange 2017, Solebox and Packer Shoes have found beauty in nature and expertly translated it across an elegant, contemporary sneaker pack.

Be sure to check out END.'s contribution to the adidas Consortium's Sneaker Exchange project in partnership with Bodega.