With adidas, Brain Dead (Again) Made Bowling Shoes Legitimately Stylish
Brain Dead and adidas are bringing back their formal bowling-inspired sneaker. But this time, they've brought pioneering retailer Dover Street Market into the mix.
Offered in black, as is often the case with DSM footwear collaborations, this is the simplest take on adidas and Brain Dead's bowling shoes yet. White stitching and gold-colored branding stamped on the side are the main hits of contrast against the black leather base.
It's a simple colorway for an objectively wild hybrid shoe: a leather dress shoe mixed with the soul of an adidas sneaker.
Expected to arrive in stores later this year, the adidas x Brain Dead x DSM bowling shoe is almost a one-to-one replica of an archival adidas model from the '70s. And yet, the design couldn't be more relevant in the present day.
Hybrid footwear of this ilk is having a real moment right now. We’re seeing a surge in unconventional sneaker mashups — think sneaker-loafers, Nike’s collaborations with PEACEMINUSONE, or adidas and CLOT’s Superstar-inspired clogs.
These hybrids blend performance sneakers with traditional shoemaking. It's admittedly inventive stuff, and adidas' bowling shoe is the forefather of them all.