Adidas and Marvel are partnering up to bring superhero fans new footwear based on Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy.
According to Marvel, the limited collection will feature "cosmic colors, stellar threads, and fresh fits based on your favorite band of space misfits." There will be six sneakers in total, each incorporating the aesthetics of one member of the superhero team. According to Bruno Gauthier Leblanc, the art director at game developer Eidos-Montréal, "Our take on these [six] Guardians is designed with the philosophy that one element in their concept should stand out and be what encompasses that character. We took those elements to then match the shoes to the Guardians."
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Leblanc continued, "Marvel was very supportive and extremely excited about this collection. We have a bunch of sneakerheads on our own team as well which made this collection even more special."
Peter Quill's Forum Mid sneakers feature "old-school charm," while Drax's Ozelias embody the character's fierceness and stubborn nature. The pair of ZX 2K Boosts for Gamora are sleek and sharp like her blades, with references to her armor in the material. Groot is represented in a classic pair of earth-toned NMD R1s with his catchphrase, "I AM GROOT" embroidered in an "alien language." As for Rocket, the ZX 1K Boost sneaker was used as a base for his design, which incorporates "the latest technology for optimal performance," highlighting his role as a weapons specialist.
"Early in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy development, the Eidos-Montréal team had a wonderful idea to incorporate a vintage 1980s Adidas silhouette -- the Forum 84 Hi -- into the character design for young Peter Quill. So, we started planning with Disney and talking with Adidas," explained Marvel's Senior Director of Production Eric Monacelli. "The designers at Adidas were greatly inspired by the unique look and feel of the game and the original, specific Eidos-Montréal take on the now-classic Guardians team."
The designers took the inspiration to the next level, incorporating aspects from the game not just in the sneakers themselves but also in the box and packaging. "For the box, we incorporated the cosmic swirl from the game to give it a unique look that would give it a feel and connection to the game," said Tony Holmes, the Senior Product Manager for Adidas. "The insert cards that were in each box were specific to each character in the game. The cards had the bio of each character along with a quick talk about what their journey would be in the game."
The limited collection of sneakers will arrive sometime in the first half of 2022, and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is playable on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Marvel