How an adidas Originals Designer Ended Up Making the Brand's First Laceless Soccer Boots

Take notes, aspiring designers.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Last month, we gave you the scoop on adidas' first-ever laceless soccer boot, the Ace 16+ PureControl. However, what we didn't know at the time was that boot was actually adidas' Vice President of Design Sam Handy's first attempt at designing a soccer boot.

In a new interview with Hypebeast, Handy explained how he went from designing retro and lifestyle footwear in the adidas Originals division to working on one of the brand's most innovative products yet. "I wouldn't say it's a boot designed by me per se. The boot was driven out of player insight," Handy said.

"The principle's the same. We have to think about what people want. For Originals it was to give them the best shoe from the archive, and it's not a different principle for the Ace 16+. We have to give the consumer the best shoe possible," Handy said.

Meanwhile, Handy says that high performance sports sneakers and retro shoes aren't quite as different as one might think: "A lot of the shoes in the Originals range were high end performance items when they were first released — the Superstar was a high performance basketball shoe, Stan Smith was the first leather tennis shoe — they were all built with a clear purpose in mind and were designed for the highest performing athlete of that time. This boot is the same."

The adidas Ace 16+ PureControl is available right now from adidas.com for $300.