Trail shoes are big business. Nike's got a bunch of ‘em. New Balance, too. And now, Adidas is diving straight into its archives to bring back the Adidas AdiStar Raven 3 ‘Glow Zone.’ First released back in 2014, it’s coming back just in time to celebrate its big 10th birthday. And if you feel like you've seen this silhouette recently (déjà shoe?), that's because you probably have.
Working on top of a ‘Core Black’ mesh base, the ‘Glow Zone’ is overlaid by ‘Tech Grey’ panelling throughout. These are all coated with a 3M reflective finish, so you can flex your new sneakers even in low-light conditions. A midfoot cage wraps around the lateral and medial sidewalls, and the toggle switch lacing system gives it that gloriously gorpy look. All of this then rests on top of a chunky white midsole, and it's finished off with a super grippy Traxion outsole.
But wait, didn't we just describe the Salomon ACS Pro? Did Adidas just straight-up copy the AdiStar Raven 3? Not exactly. Believe it or not, Adidas actually owned Salomon from '97 to '05, and the ACS Pro was actually inspired by the original GCS Pro from 2004. So, it's not that surprising that, somewhere along the line, the design languages of both brands would mash up. And that's why the models look so damn similar to one another.
This isn't the first time that one sportswear company has pilfered elements from another. Nike, for example, owned Umbro from '07 to '12, so during this five-year period, both brands shared each other’s tech.
The Adidas AdiStar Raven 3 ‘Glow Zone’ is set to re-release on March 31. It'll be available via Adidas, the Confirmed app, and select stockists globally, and will retail for £130 a pop.
