The Other, Other Adidas

Every once in awhile, a shoe comes through and at first, you don’t recognize it. We saw these with joints with some of our Rope Lace on them and were caught by a surprise. It turns out, they're adidas EQT 3/3F15 Primeknit. That’s a mouthful for sure. This runner looks has a similar vibe to a Y3 joint, and speaks to the Primeknit features that adidas has been dropping the past couple years. While 3/3F15 is new model, the EQT line has a long history in sneaker culture.

(Source: @geekxism)

Since the 90’s, the adidas EQT have been one of the most coveted running shoes on the market. The first iteration of the EQT dropped in 1991 as the EQT Support. What the EQT showcased was a more technical approach to the running shoe that spoke to a more lifestyle, or fashion oriented crowd as well.

(Source: sneakerfreaker.com)

One of the key features that that stood out on the original model of the EQT was the way the it utilized the iconic three stripe logo as a functional part of the upper. The three stripes acted as anchors for the shoelace. Within a few years, the EQT Racing dropped; art functionality, part aesthetic feature brought the EQT to fashion crowd. This style has been widely retouched since then.

(Source: facebook.com)

Like adidas itself, the EQT has heavy roots in German culture. Sneakers plays a heavy part in the fabric of Germany’s youth culture. While sneaker culture in the United States tends to lean more toward the US-based shoe behemoth Nike, German sneaker heads still tend to favor runners (or trainers) from adidas.

(Source: eukicks.com)

The EQT has been a mainstay on the Berlin sneaker scene. Many Berlin sneaker heads favored a more technical looking trainer in terms of color way, material, and overall construction. So the EQT fell right in with the later 90’s aesthetic. With stores like Solebox being the spot for EQT heads in Berlin, the sneaker has enjoyed a long association with the city’s cultural scene.

(Source: sneakersbro.com)

Since the shoes inception, the EQT has gone through numerous retros. While this model is elbowing for room in the sneaker scene here in the US, it’s popularity has stuck across the Atlantic.