adidas Skateboarding: New In Footwear 2021
Starting of 2021 strong with yet more additions to its seemingly never-ending inventory of skate-specific footwear, adidas welcomes the transition into the New Year with open arms. Following up on a productive year that featured memorable collaborations with the likes of Thrasher Magazine and Fucking Awesome, as well as brand-new silhouette releases such as the adidas Coronado and 3MC, SS21 and the year ahead is set to be one that plays right into the hand of adidas’ original is never finished mantra.
Drawing from the brand’s classic triple-stripe heritage and notable ‘90s era streamlined aesthetics influenced by the decade’s design style of baggier clothes and slimmer shoes, the adidas Delpala is one that remains authentically adidas. Building on the archival canvas-upper look, as seen via last season’s crystal-white and royal-blue colourway, 2021 for the time-honoured brand sees the timely arrival of the remastered adidas Delpala Premiere. Styled with a retro T-toe and a grippy outsole, the adidas Delpala Premiere is a low-top design backed by an expectation-free; enjoy the ride construction. Adidas’ Adituff technology keeps with contemporary tradition to deliver a resilient yet flexible wear when paired with any challenging terrain, whilst the moulded Adiprene sockliner, iconic side-wall stripe detailing and leather heel-patch remain loyal to the profile’s Busenitz Vulc II and Gazelle ADV muse.
Akin to the aforementioned Delpala, the adidas Gazelle ADV represents exactly what it says on the box; a skateboarding version of the classic Gazelle. Influenced by the iconic lace-up’s sport meets street style depiction that originated in the late ‘60s, the modernised soccer and handball-specific silhouette returns to celebrate another lucrative year in circulation. With two archetypal colourways already assigned to its 2021 mark-up, white with gold-metallic and a juxtaposing core-black with gold-metallic, the adidas Gazelle ADV continues to honour its regal fabrication for yet another season. Adidas’ moulded Adiprene sockliner remains at-the-ready, whilst a Geoflex outsole, a double-layered toe-box and heightened fixings turn their distinctive attention to boardfeel over ball-sport legacy. Much like the shell-toe Superstars and the infamous Stan Smith’s, adidas’ Trefoil heel stamp certifies its stature, whilst jagged quarter-panel trims adhere to the design’s archival transcendence and its classic yet treasured appeal.
Introduced back in April 2020 alongside pro-skater Mike Arnold’s Rider Series debut, the adidas Copa Nationale marks its Cloudfoam comeback for 2021 in a classic black and white colouring. Highlighting its true colours and its undeniable ode to archival designs such as the Copa Mundial, the adidas Copa Nationale is one that combines snug-fitting securities with unprecedented flexibility. Unlike the previous silhouettes, the Copa Nationale hosts a super-thin outsole for greater contact-feel, whilst the TPU tip and purpose built foam-padded Cloudfoam reinforcements pre-installed in the heel ensure stability regardless of setting. Contouring colour-matched embroidery, a sculpted tongue and a concealed lacing system process soccer-style necessities in line with skate-centric performance, while the OG side-wall stripes help unify adidas’ 2021 collection as a whole.
Inspired by football x lifestyle terrace culture and team-rider Lucas Puig’s unrefined skate style, the adidas Puig marks the changing decade in line with its previously released core-black and FTW-white release from late last year. Piggy-backing off 2012’s Lucas Puig Pro and 2016’s Lucas Premiere ADV, 2020’s adidas Puig boasts a revolutionary construction that pairs ultra-modern technologies with an ode to high-end aesthetics. Originally debuted via a collaboration with Palace Skateboards, the soccer-style Lucas Puig sneaker pairs a high-grade, semi-transparent EVA midsole with classic Adiprene technology for a secure and supportive wear. The debossed ball-sport inspired tongue is fastened via rope-style laces for an alternative twist, whilst the v-shape rubberised heel-brace actively reflects the brand’s futuristic vision when it comes to addressing new-era, skate-specific design.
Entering the limelight in early 2020, with striking styling similarities to the equally-as-new adidas 3MC, 2021 for the adidas Matchbreak Super has already witnessed the arrival of three new colourways. Both tapping into old-school vibes borrowed from the classic OG Nizza, the adidas Matchbreak is an unrestrained low-top styled with both Adiprene and Adituff features. Suede and leather remain the fabrics of choice for an increased sense of durability across the looming seasons, whilst the design’s debossed Trefoil trims, gold-foil commemorations and its overall sense of streamlined stature remain ever-loyal, even in the 21st century, to adidas Skateboarding’s minimal aesthetic perfected by pathway pioneers such as the Superstar and adidas Campus during the ‘90s.
Led by team-rider Heitor da Silva’s noble-purple signature remastering from late last year, a second wave of creativity washes over the iconic ‘84 debuting silhouette for early 2021. With Heitor’s Rider Series instalment marking the first official remodelling since the design’s ‘80s era hardwood legacy, this modern-day adidas Forum 84 Low ADV rework mixes the design’s classic Forum DNA with adidas’ skate-specific ADV formula for an enduring and reliable cross-terrain wear. Modified panelling across its mixed-material pebbled leather and brushed-suede uppers increase the design’s durability and functionality, whilst the traditional Adiprene molded sockliner and upgraded 5-eyelet lacing system from its OG hook-and-loop strap design maintain adidas’ commitment to evolutionary sport culture. Debossed branding keeps the design streamlined in its appeal, whilst its slightly chunkier construction pays playful homage to puffy-tongued court shoes such as the short-lived adidas Decade Hi and adidas Centennial from both the 1980’s and ‘90s.
Tying off 2021’s prosperous outlook with respect to the brand’s illustrious past, the adidas Campus ADV returns in a butter-smooth colouring of green-oxide and crisp-white. Offering a modern-day refresh of its throwback Tournament shoe inception from the ‘70s, as worn by the Beastie Boys on their Check Your Head album cover, these textile-lined skate shoes opt to utilise the same Geoflex outsole as its Gazelle ADV sibling, whilst adidas’ Bounce midsole cushioning takes the stress and strain out of boardfeel. Double-layered ollie zone patches maintain the design’s ADV-titled commitment to skate, while the continued use of adidas’ Adiprene sockliner remains a constant for 2021.
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