CREPE CITY TALK CLIMACOOL

As the brains (and brawn – those tables don’t lift themselves in) behind the UK’s biggest, best, first and foremost footwear festival, Ron and Morgan know their onions when it comes to sneakers both new and old. We caught up with them amid the chaos of Crepe City 18 to talk about the latest iteration of the adidas Originals Climacool family: the 02/17.

R: I don’t know if it was a gimmick or legit, but the breathability thing made it very different to a lot of other shoes at the time. You’ve got this whole open section in the sole for the breeze, and it was the first shoe to do something like that.

M: It was marketed as a 360-degree breathing shoe, so you’ve got it coming from the top, the sides and from underneath and I think that made it a first of its time. I guess back then it was like when boost came out for us – no one had ever cut holes out of the sole and put vents in them. 

R: Yeah, definitely. The retro of the OG re-familiarised everyone with Climacool, and I think it’s a massive step from that to making it very much a modern-style shoe that people would wear and go crazy for. It’s similar to the NMD in terms of the chiselled shape and simple lacing system, and equally similar in appearance to the EQT ADV, which is already a hugely popular shoe for this generation.

M: I saw the shoe a few months ago and I just knew people were going to be interested in it. It’s something adidas do really well at the moment – bringing models back from the archive, updating them, and opening them up to a new audience that may not be in tune with the originals. You’ve got the streamlined shape like Ron said, and then they’ve blown out some of the main bits of the original design – like you’ve got these exaggerated vents on the side and underneath.

R: Yeah, it’s similar to the NMD that has DNA from older shoes, the EQT ADV has the DNA from the original line and this is a modern shoe with DNA from the early 2000s. It’s not just about updated materials, it’s about a whole new shape and using certain touchpoints of the original design to make something new. It’s very, very interesting. I’m sure in 10 years they’ll probably make a Climacool with a crazy sole and self-lacing system and that’ll be the shoe of 2027.

M: Less is more.

R: Less is more with the lacing system and the one-piece breathable upper. It has left behind a lot of the technical elements. Remember, the original was made in 2002 as an actual exercise shoe – no one’s running any distance in these – unless they’re running for the latest release!