adidas and Carbon are slowly rolling out their innovative new Futurecraft 4D technology. While doing so, the duo took some time from their busy 747 Warehouse event to share the new adidas Futurecraft 4D Basketball.
adidas first debuted their collaborative midsole technology with Carbon last year. Dubbed Futurecraft 4D, the new tech was designed to be customizable and adaptable for any need. Now, the Three Stripes appear to be experimenting with Futurecraft in their basketball category. As part of the brand’s 747 Warehouse St. event during the NBA’s All-Star Weekend, adidas and Carbon held a collaborative exhibit to showcase the future of their incredible innovation. Included in this small exhibit were past adidas Basketball models updated with the exciting new technology to bring them into modern day. Classic shoes like the Superstar, Pro Model and the Crazy 8 were strapped on top of custom Futurecraft 4D soles, creating some of the wildest sneakers ever seen from adidas.
In addition to the futuristic takes on retro shoes, adidas had another brand new silhouette on display for the first time. It is being called the adidas Futurecraft 4D Basketball and sets a new standard for packing premier technology into a performance shoe. The new sneaker consists of a single piece Primeknit upper and a special Futurecraft sole unit made especially for the prototype model, and that’s it. There are no flashy components to the upper, no intricate and tedious lacing system for looks. In fact, there are no laces at all, an almost unheard of feature for a basketball shoe. Instead, the one-piece upper is tighter and thicker around key points of the shoe. One clear example can be seen around the heel of the shoe, as a large U-shaped piece of Primeknit piping is used to reinforce the high top collar around the high ankle collar. The upper will utilize other adidas design ideas, like a built-in knit lacing system reminiscent of those on the NMD_CS1 and ACE16+ Ultra Boost silhouettes. As for the look of the upper, it remains relatively minimal and understated, featuring 3 plain stripes on the inner medial side.
The new Futurecraft 4D outsole is the most interesting one we have seen thus far. The main body is modeled after regular performance outsoles, taking a tapered shape that thins toward the toe. However, a large support piece protrudes from the lateral side of the shoe. The addition to the sole is built using the same Futurecraft 4D webbing as the rest, housed in a thick protective border for added stability. The placement and size of the extension suggest that the extra support provided will be much needed to counter the flexibility of the sock-like upper.
The new images of the prototype model were shared via Instagram by adidas VP Marc Dolce, who currently runs the brand’s Brooklynn Creator Farm, a design lab for products that will release far in the future. Dolce’s posts about the shoes refer to the new model as the “Future of Basketball”, an apt name for such an interesting shoe. adidas is still preparing Futurecraft 4D soles for a wide release, so don’t expect this new basketball variation to appear on shelves anytime soon. In the meantime, check out the images below for a closer look at the forward-thinking silhouette, and stay tuned to JustFreshKicks for more adidas Futurecraft information.
Words by Ben Serleth
