The Sneakers of the Future Are Here

Imagine this. You walk into a store to buy kicks that will not not just amp your street cred but also work for exactly the kind of activity you promised yourself you’d religiously follow through in the new year—be it running or some gym time, tennis or a hip-hop dance class. You meet a pair of sneakers with a trippy lattice-like sole, which you are told is engineered to meet your needs. You are an uncomfortable in-between size (seven-and-a-half types), and this one finally caters to you half-sizers as well. The 4D-printed midsole—the first of its kinds in the world to be mass produced in a short duration (20 minutes as opposed to the 90 earlier)—is part of your perfectly fitted shoe, tweaked to your gait, weight and type of sport. And it’s not like the shoe costs as much as your car, or even your annual holiday.

Sounds too sci-fi to be true?

Well, the adidas Alphaedge 4D proves that you can have this be part of your sneaker collection in 2019.

Thanks to a new partnership with Silicon Valley start-up, Carbon, that manufactures 3D printers, these game-changers are born of a slight tweak to the original Alphaedge 4D model. This new silhouette features a Primeknit upper constructed with Forgefiber—a TPU-coated yarn to maximise durability and performance. This means that the shoes fit almost like socks, moving with you and for you. The midsole is printed with light and oxygen, using Digital Light Synthesis—a process that uses digital light projection, oxygen-permeable optics, and programmable liquid resins. We’re not making this up. In plainspeak, it means that your shoe will provide cushioning, stability and support to your foot from all angles. Plus, the minimalist white-grey-ash green colour scheme is quite killing it, IMO.

The only drawback as we see it is the boo not being able to borrow it. Did we say drawback?