An In-Depth Look at the adidas "B-Sides" Project

For August and September 2011, adidas Originals is releasing the "B-Sides" collection, a two-part sneaker drop under adidas' Consortium range, adidas Originals' top tier product line. The B-Sides project reinterprets some of adidas' most successful projects from the past and re-releases alternate versions of great shoes that were originally sampled but never brought to market. The series came about following the introduction of a new Concept Manager for the Consortium line. As part of restructuring the division, the Consortium designers began researching the archives and their own personal wardrobes, and while going through past projects, discovered editions and samples of iconic shoes that never made it to production.

The adidas Originals designers decided that some of these shoes were as good as the originals, and decided to bring some of these "B-Sides" to market as special edition drops for its adidas Originals stores. To create B-Sides, the designers worked with the original partners to either re-interpret the great sneakers of the past (as was the case with Bape) or to release the B-Side sample as a sneaker at retail (as was the case with UNDFTD). The result? A project that fans of the Three Stripes are calling the most exciting from the brand in years. Click through to take a deeper look at these special make-ups...

About the sneaker: The original version of this sneaker was released as the "Super Ape Star" and retailed in three makeups — camo, off white with black stripes, and all white (a fourth friends version came in all black) — and is considered by many to be one of the greatest sneaker collaborations of the past 10 years for its concept, timing, and packaging. For 2011, the B-Side takes a slightly different aesthetic — the Bathing Ape insignia is overlaid with a three-stripe chevron pattern as opposed to the original three stripes across the Bape head. The color makeup of this shoe is an off-white, designed to bring a modern aesthetic to the shoe, and the internal footbed interprets the classic Bape camo in blue.

About the sneaker: The adidas Micropacer was originally designed for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, a state-of-the-art product that was equipped with an on-board mini computer that runners could use to count steps, keep track of running lap times and splits, and to set their pace. The shoe was adopted by sneaker aficionados, particularly in the UK and Germany. The B-side of this shoe is a flip on the original version of the shoe that trades the original blue stripes for red.

About the sneaker: UNDFTD originally teamed up with adidas, Estevan Oriol, and SA Studios to celebrate the Top Ten with a special edition book and shoe. The sneaker came in an elaborate box, accompanied by a hardcover photo book of Estevan Oriol's street basketball photography. The B-Sides black make-up of the shoe was originally sampled as an alternate colorway, but the white sneaker was chosen for final production. This black version of the shoe was re-created to match the original "B-Side" sample colorway of the Top Ten.

About the sneaker: Jeremy Scott's relationship with adidas began with a special edition Forum Mid created for the designer's runway show. The "Money" Forum Mids were limited to 100 hand-made pairs and went on sale following the show. The B-sides take on this shoe is a re-creation of an alternate version of the shoe that takes its pattern from luxury jacquard fabrics. It was originally sampled, but never made it to the runway.

About the sneaker: The Kegler Super was developed in the 1980s for athletes playing Keglen, a German style of nine-pin bowling. The shoe featured a peg system that allowed users to switch out pegs under the heel to adjust the response characteristics depending on the user's personal needs and a reinforced toe cap for when players dragged their toes. In 2004, adidas re-issued the Kegler Super as an edition of 100 to commemorate Adi Dassler's 100th birthday. The shoe was done up in brown ostrich skin leather with gold-colored pegs, and it retailed for $1,000. For 2011, the B-side will explore a new material take on the 2004 Consortium edition.

About the sneaker: These days, practically every sneaker company has a boat shoe-sneaker hybrid of some sort, but adidas' introduction of a sailing aesthetic to the ZX runner base provided a new take on the classic design, something that Neighborhood used for its A to ZX collaboration and a shoe that was later done up in multiple material stories. The ZX 700 Boat "Mammoth" was part of a mammoth-inspired concept pack that featured a long-haired suede and mammoth skull embroidery on the uppers of three shoes: the ZX 700 Boat, Strider, and Top Ten. The B-sides provides a flip on the original "Mammoth" edition of the shoe.

About the sneaker: After the huge success of the adidas 35th anniversary of the Superstar, where Foot Patrol joined UNDFTD, Union, Neighborhood, D-Mop, and Tate as one of the partners in the top-tier Consortium level of the collaboration, adidas again re-visited its relationship with the London shop to create a series of Campus 80s. These three special edition sneakers featured snakeskin stripes on the inside, medial panel of the shoe and white stripes on the outer, lateral side. There was a yellow, grey, and red version of the shoe, and this upcoming colorway finishes out the pack, the final fourth colorway to finish out the original series.