Icon, runner's favorite, raver legend - the adidas ZX series is perhaps the most popular and successful sneaker series of the sporting goods manufacturer from Herzogenaurach. With the innovative Torsion technology, adidas managed to reinvent the ZX models again and again over decades. From classics like the ZX 8000 or the ZX 500 to new interpretations like the ZX Flux or the ZX 2K 4D, the ZX series makes every sneaker heart beat faster!
adidas ZX Series - The future is calling
The 80s - True sneaker junkies among you probably know that this decade, apart from its pop-cultural events, is mostly known for the runner boom. Every major sneaker brand sent its running shoe rake into the race. The brand with the three stripes from Herzogenaurach made an entire series out of it. In 1984, adidas kicked off the ZX series. The brains behind this great series were the two designers Jacques Chassaing and Markus Thaler. They wanted to create a shoe that would optimally support and accompany every athlete. In doing so, they provided each shoe with numerical numbers. They started with the ZX 500, and the RM version is still highly regarded in the sneaker community today. In the next few years, it was followed by the ZX 750, the ZX 800 and the so-called 1000s with the ZX 4000 and ZX 8000.
What unites these models? A unique damping system. The ZX series became synonymous with the adidas Torsion System technology. Here, the sole is split in two so that the forefoot and rearfoot are supported independently of each other. The special comfort of the ZX sneakers is what makes this shoe so popular and so special.
From runner to raver legend
A little rave can sometimes be quite exhausting. For that, of course, you need comfortable footwear. The rave scene thought so too and adapted the legendary ZX 8000 »Aqua« for themselves. Somewhere between East Berlin and Manchester, the ZX 8000 and ZX 9000 found their way into the acid house rave scene. But why exactly there? The answer is simple: thanks to the Torsion bar, the sneakers were super comfortable and you could dance through the morning hours in them. Another reason for the takeover of the rave scene was the vibrant colorways.
A-ZX line - adidas celebrates its ZX series with the cremé de la cremé
That the ZX series plays a very special role for adidas, they already showed in 2008 and 2009, where adidas presented the first A-ZX-Linie. In collaboration with 22 partners of the adidas consortium, including Colette, HUF, IRAK, A-ZX gave some of the most creative minds the opportunity to interpret the ZX through their own glasses. Then, in 2020, the comeback of the A-ZX series: the Franconian sporting goods manufacturer is once again putting its range in the spotlight, launching 26 ZX releases. 26 releases for 26 letters of the alphabet. Hidden behind the letter "R" was the new edition of the adidas ZX 1000C. Besides retro comebacks, adidas also surprises us again and again with great collabo partners like IRAK, Atmos, Juventus Turin, deadHYPE or the National Park Foundation.
A very special collabo partner is LEGO. As big fans of the colorful bricks, the adidas x LEGO ZX 8000 is definitely THE highlight of the A-ZX series. Together with our friends from Overkill, we came up with something very special for this release. The full story behind the project can be found on ourBlog.
adidas ZX today
Of course, adidas has not rested on its OG models. With technological and creative innovations, the brand with the three stripes keeps presenting updates to the ZX series. Not too long ago, the ZX Flux models of the ZX family turned the sneaker world upside down.The latest ZX strike shows up in the form of the adidas ZX 2K 4D. It combines the classic influences of the ZX series and furthermore the latest technology in running shoes. The mesh sole comes from the 3D printer and offers you stability and targeted energy return. This sneaker is a running shoe of the extra class and combines the best of the past and the future!