An Exploratory Look at adidas's Revolutionary BOOST Technolo

[Aabsao08]

adidas running shoes uk In its relatively short timeline, adidas’s BOOST technology has managed to cross a mishmash of sports, styles and influences en route to establishing itself as its very own entity. Revolutionizing the industry one silhouette at a time, BOOST-bearing sneakers will continue its reign over the sneaker realm in a manner far different from not only those that came before it, but likely from ones to follow. Landing on the underside of some of the game’s hottest sneakers, the storied sportswear label has continued to crank out a barrage of eclectic colorways, prints and silhouettes proving the true infancy of its evolution.

adidas running shoes sale But not just any shoe: specifically, a white Adidas Ultra Boost, which until this moment—the Billboard Music Awards in May 2015—has never been worn in public. West begins his next song and leaps through the flames. He’s dressed all in black except for the two white Ultra Boosts, which hang in the air like exclamation points. “What happens next? Every single store that had [Ultra Boosts] cleared out within the hour,” says Yu-Ming Wu, founder of shoe-culture network Sneaker News, with only a touch of hyperbole. Adidas—with West—had created a moment. Wu compares it to Michael Jordan’s 1988 dunk from the free throw line, which made a legend out of Nike’s Air Jordan III: West’s fiery Ultra Boost debut turned Adidas’s Boost technology into a cultural touchstone.

adidas shoes uk By fall 2016, Adidas had overtaken Under Armour. The company’s North American revenue soared by 30% from 2015 to 2016, with sales of Ultra Boosts leaping 98%. And while Adidas doesn’t break out many specific numbers, the company credits Ultra Boosts for much of its recent growth. Indeed, Music impresario Pharrell Williams churns out regular iterations on his blocky, Lego-esque NMD line, which sold almost a half-million units online and in stores in a single day in March 2016, with people lining up outside of retail locations from Bangkok to New York. And West has now created six models for the Boost brand.

adidas shoes sale These kinds of collaborations—along with Adidas’s own in-house efforts—represent a bold departure for the company, which is now treating shoes as fast fashion: stylish, responsive to trends, and engineered to hit the market quickly. Adidas laid the foundation for its turnaround during a particular low point. Throughout 2013, stores had been ordering less and less merchandise from Adidas’s upcoming seasons, and the company began warning investors quarterly. Shares plunged in August of 2014, and within five months Under Armour had taken the No. 2 spot in the U.S.