With more than 380 million copies sold, 16 years under its belt, and now a record-breaking movie adaptation to its name, it’s evident that Minecraft is one of the most popular and enduring video game franchises of all time. Naturally, this success has led to a steady supply of merchandise inspired by the open-world sandbox game, and footwear hasn’t been left out of the equation. After collaborating with Crocs earlier this year, Minecraft is transferring its blocky look to the adidas Handball Spezial, Samba XLG, Campus 00s, and Superstar models. But do these Adidas x Minecraft sneakers live up to expectations?
Adidas has been doing surprisingly well with its pop culture-inspired collaborations of late. This year, they released a pretty inventive Fortnite x adidas UltraBOOST collection, and their Toy Story x Adidas Samba would have been near-perfect if not for the absence of the “ANDY” inscription on the outsole and the missed chance to include a snake image on the insole.
That said, fans are undoubtedly more excited about the Minecraft and adidas collaboration. One commenter on Instagram stated, “One of their better collabs ngl,” while another lamented, “WHY ONLY FOR KIDS?!?!?” And this seems to be the general consensus among adult fans who appreciate the vast range of designs and colourways offered in the collection.
The adidas website has five sneaker designs up for grabs: a black Enderman-inspired Handball Spezial, a Samba XLG with spidery brown suede uppers, a green suede creeper Campus 00s, plus two iterations of the adidas Superstar – one with a creeper theme and the other with a skeleton design.
Each of these sneakers features the character’s signature colour on the base with pixelated-style TPU stripes on the side and the Minecraft logo alongside it. Plus, most of the designs boast both lace dubraes and heel tabs inspired by the game creatures they represent.
Yet, while the Adidas x Minecraft collaboration has aroused plenty of interest, could there have been a more, I don’t know, unexpected approach for this partnership? Perhaps a shoe that more closely resembles something we’d see Steve or Alex rocking in-game? Cue in the Minecraft x Converse custom sneakers created by creatives Armand Croisonnier @armandc_, Matteo Cavarra @matteocavarra_ and Edgar Beyls @edgbey.
The canvas and rubber shoes look like they were plucked right out of the Minecraft world, with a squared toe box and collar, as well as a squared sole unit below. But while many in the comments are trying their utmost best to get their hands on a pair of these unique custom sneakers, not everyone is convinced of their appeal.
One Instagram user likened the shoes to something from “Roblox” rather than Minecraft, while another simply labelled them as “Ugly asf.” These comments, though harsh, pretty much underscore the polarizing nature of a design that steps so far out of the norm.
Adidas chose a safe and stylish approach, dressing their beloved silhouettes in the colours and subtle details of the iconic game, and it worked. However, these custom sneaker artists took a risk with a more literal interpretation, which we believe is—for better or worse—more memorable. What do you think?
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