adidas Tubular Doom Primeknit Men's Sneakers

Product Information

In less than two years, the prototypes evolved into incredibly complex pieces of engineering – then in ’92 adidas took the unusual step of releasing a beta version of the Radical to the public. More recent additions to the line incorporate elements of the old designs into ultra-modern concepts – like the Tubular Doom which pairs an old-school lacing structure with cutting edge knitted construction. Instead of focussing on the engineering, the sole reimagined the concept with new methods of production. It was offered as the lightweight option, without the inbuilt mechanics, but only had two adjustable air bags in the heel and a forefoot that was cushioned with EVA foam.

Designers worked on one more prototype, an advanced version of the Tubular 4, but were forced to concede to the fact that the technology they needed to manufacture the shoe didn’t exist yet. The first design featured an upper based on the popular ZX range, which allowed an introduction of new ideas to be accessible via familiarity. The idea resonated with Y-3 designer Yohji Yamamoto, so he and Galway came up with the Qasa – not strictly a Tubular but a hugely successful silhouette nonetheless. It’s up to them to integrate cutting edge know-how into new styles while staying one step ahead of present trends. In 1990, adidas designers began creating prototypes inspired by car tyres that featured inflatable rubber air bags with valves.The second gen Tubular range now makes up a huge portion of the adidas Originals offering, with a wide variety of styles, as well as multiple variations of the tube-shaped EVA sole. In 2013 the market wasn’t oriented around technical silhouettes like it had been in the mid-90s, so Galway decided to strip back the Tubular to its core.

The mind of a sneaker designer exists in a temporal limbo – creating for the future with constant reference to the past. Those first 500 were recieved well, and just a year later the Tubular line launched, utilising all of the tech the Radical prototypes had pioneered. Originals released the Adidas Tubular in 1993, however it was deemed too ahead of its time with its futuristic aesthetic and shelved after only two years.They were cobbled together using parts from the Equipment series, with a Torsionbar and some industrial looking connectors. The design process had focussed on the overall form of the shoe, with materials chosen to fit the sculpted last and contribute to a dynamic look. It wasn’t until the sneaker was reissued in 2014 as the Tubular Runner that the style single-handedly ushered in a new era of sneakers. The futuristic concept was also known as the X-29 and had four separate air chambers on the sole that could be adjusted using an integrated pump – they even had a digital LCD pressure gauge.