What if you were able to get 357 of the world’s rarest sneakers into your home and they’d only take up the same amount of space as a shoebox? Thanks to Adidas can you can. The legendary sneaker brand has just unveiled a new Taschen tome dedicated entirely to stylish treads.
A mecca for sneakerheads, The Adidas Archive: The Footwear Collection is jampacked with groundbreaking designs and star-studded collabs, including kicks by Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Raf Simons, Stella McCartney, Parley for the Oceans and Yohji Yamamoto, to name but a few. Unfortunately, the forthcoming Prada collection didn’t make the cut, but that gives an excuse for volume two.
Shot by world-renowned photographers Christian Habermeier and Sebastian Jäger, the artful high res snaps showcase the unique beauty of each shoe. With every stain, tear, rip, smudge or faded signature, the reader learns more about the sneaker and its wearer, from Lionel Messi and Madonna to Run DMC.
“What we discover goes beyond mere design; in the end, these are just shoes, worn out by their users who have loved them—but they are also first-hand witnesses of our sports, design and cultural history, from Adidas’s beginnings in 1919 until today,” Taschen writes.
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Indeed, beyond pretty pictures, the book covers the sportswear giant’s remarkable history. Accompanied by a foreword by designer Jacques Chassaing, the book conveys the driving force behind Adidas, all the epic moments and groundbreaking prototypes.
On top of that, it delves into the brand’s trailblazing techniques and pushes for sustainability. Since 2012, Adidas has been working on ways to reduce plastic waste and has committed to be completely off virgin polyester by 2024. So it’s a book with a happy ending, too.
The Adidas Archive: The Footwear Collection is priced at $150—way cheaper than 357 pairs of sneakers—and will be released on March 15. You can preorder the book now on Amazon.
Check out more photos from the book below:
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