adidas Originals Consortium City Series Part 2

Following up on its first unveiling early last month, adidas Originals gives us a look into a second helping of its Consortium City Series. This time around, the storied sportswear brand works up four designs with top sneaker establishments, including New York’s DQM, Stockholm’s Sneakersnstuff, Slam Jam Milan, and Norse Projects out of Copenhagen. Offered below is a bit of insight into each project:

Norse Projects

Norse Project’s ascent as both a brand and store sees their first adidas Consortium creation following their eminently wearable aesthetic perfectly. Danish design savvy is at work, and less is more, with a tonal take on the Kopenhagen’s track training shoe upper design, down to the 3-Stripes.

Suede lacestays and tongue set it off perfectly, on a navy leather upper, while the yellow of the iconic Kopehagen colours is present on the heel and top eyelet. Perforated elements make all the difference aesthetically, while the etched branding alternately displaying the store name and shoe name is low-key too, eschewing any metallic lettering. Sat atop a white sole unit, matching laces with branded tips complete a classy reworking that evokes the regional style perfectly.

Slam Jam

An Italian retail institution, Slam Jam’s inaugural entry into the adidas Consortium rollout carries the expertise and flair you’d expect, with a few surprises in the mix. A simple training shoe creation, the Milano remains much loved, and by retaining the blue, but complementing it with some lime green crinkle patent on the tongue, 3-Stripes and lacestays, and a blue version of the shiny leather on the heel that matches the predominantly all nylon upper.

A gold print carries the Slam Jam logo on one foot and the model name on the other, and a matching branded lace selection is a given. Thanks to the fabric choices, it’s incredibly light, while the green padded lining ensures comfort from the first wear. Channeling the immediacy of the original in its hard-to-ignore mix of the bold and subdued, the Milan crew’s finishing touch is an off-white sole and matching off-white footbed.

DQM

DQM have opted for a New York blackout when it comes to their take on this ’80s running favourite. Previous mixes of suede and mesh might prove a little delicate for the inclement weather the city can unleash, so this simple version of the shoe is ideally suited. Taking the white of an original colourway and applying it to the Dellinger webbed midsole, the upper is primarily constructed from a hardwearing, water-resistant fabric, including the 3-Stripes, while the matching black tongue and heeltab are made of leather.

Store name and shoe name are embossed into a stripe on either shoe, continuing the uncompromising look of the redesign. Cranking up the hardwearing look that the high grip outsole always hinted at, the ghilly lacing that once took the top three eyelets has been replaced by brass d-rings too, while leather lining is a premium touch to this wet-weather friendly makeover.

Sneakersnstuff

Released as their tenth anniversary celebrations come to a close, one of Europe’s number one sneaker retailers get their opportunity to play with a stone-cold low-profile classic that takes the original Stockholm’s Swedish flag colours and offers the Sneakersnstuff spin on them. Famed for their offbeat approach to projects, the grey overbrushed suede upper here is complemented by yellow medial 3-Stripes and blue 3-Stripes on the lateral side, all in leather, matched by two colours of top metal eyelets.

The slightly deconstructed leisure shoe feel is retained here, and with ‘SNS’ on one heel and the familiar Trefoil on the other, this flat tongued favourite is set on a gum sole. All three colours incorporated are matched on a set of three branded laces finish an offbeat remix of the original that’s strong in its execution.