Meissen and adidas Originals' ZX 10000 C Bridges the Gap Between Artwork and Sneakers

Meissen and adidas Originals are two heritage German companies that know and dominate their field, so a partnership between the two on a pair of ZX 10000 C sneakers seems only natural.

The historic porcelain manufacturer has a meticulous eye for attention to detail, while adidas‘ ZX line is arguably one of its most recognizable, successful, and important divisions within the sportswear giant’s catalog. By combining both of their sensibilities, the duo has crafted a limited-edition pair of shoes that looks as if Meissen’s vase and the ZX had a love child.

News of a collaborative sneaker follows on from Meissen and adidas Originals’ ZX 8000 “Porcelain,” which is a genuine sneaker crafted with porcelain elements all around. Due to be sold at Sotheby’s in New York City on December 16, the one-of-a-kind masterpiece perfectly executes and explores a partnership between the two entities by bridging art with sneaker design.

Similarly, the ZX 10000 C seen above further explores this realm. Inspired by a traditional handcrafted floral vase, the shoe features a premium white leather upper decorated with a carefully chosen floral pattern. This print looks almost like a watercolor painting on top of the supple leather, and is accompanied by very little else to stay true to Meissen’s signature lack of branding. The result sees its Three Stripes served in a semi-translucent webbing material, no branding on the tongue, heel tab, or insole, and no branding on the lace jewel (which usually boasts the shoe’s Torsion tooling). 

The only chance of branding is on the outsole, where you’ll notice a Torsion bar colored in baby blue alongside Meissen’s signature and adidas Originals’ Trefoil logo. Standing in for “M” in the “A-ZX” series, the Meissen x adidas Originals ZX 10000 C will drop globally on adidas’ website on December 18. The pair will retail for $160 USD, and can be seen in closer detail above.

For more unique adidas Originals sneakers, check out the Stan Smith “Christmas Monster.”