Best Adidas Sneakers Ever: New Adidas Consortium

Finally, Adidas Originals has learned to approach pop culture on the offense. For far too long the Adidas Originals lines have relied on pop culture to shape their mass appeal. For the Consortium package, however, Adidas has focused on a niche market, thus creating the strongest limited release line to date.

On top of the consortium package is the status pack. It features, like all other aspects of the total package, two or three of Adidas' iconic designs-reinvented, of course. The status pack features the Superstar, the Americana Mid, and the ever-popular Micropacer. This is by far the best design for the Micropacer in the more than twenty years the shoe's existed, with bright orange and subtle silver.

In line with the materialism associated with the designs of the status pack (the caviar, the credit card...) is the World Poker pack. This pack features new designs of the Superskate, the Decade Low, and the ZX8000. The interpretation of the ZX8000 is, in itself, one of the most exciting Adidas pieces to date.

THE most exciting Adidas piece to date, however, is definitely the new Adidas APS of the nature graphics pack. It's called the Adidas APS Dragonfly because, like the other shoes of the pack, it incorporates nature graphics, namely artwork inspired by winged insects. The other shoes of the pack: a ladybug Forum Lo and a honeybee Rod Laver.

Another nature-inspired pack is the reptile pack, which has simulated (or maybe real) reptile skin on an American Hi vara and a Gazelle OP croc. There are only two shoes released in this pack so far. A Metro Attitude Hi Godzilla anyone?

Okay maybe that's a bit out there, but what stranger is this: the Adidas Originals Consortium pack has actually made something respectable out of its oddities pack. Featuring the extremely stylish Grand Slam, Forum Hi, and ZX700, this is a huge accomplishment.

Another accomplishment is the hidden messages pack. Re-thinking the Adicolor Low and the Metro Attitude Hi, the hidden messages pack includes sign language and Braille on the designs.

Lastly, the Adidas Originals Consortium package features a Star Wars-related design, which is corny. But the shoes (Superstar 1's, in white and black) look good.

Overall, it's good to see Adidas Originals taking a holistic approach to its limited edition releases. The twists on pop culture actually succeed in making something new, not just relying on tired old clichés to sell sneakers.