Adidas has released the Ultraboost 20 sneakers in partnership with the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory. The sneakers were released globally on December 6, 2019.
According to a November 27 Adidas press release, the Ultraboost 20 sneakers design drew “parallels with the construction of a space shuttle in which every part has a unique purpose.” Over and above that glorious bit of marketing nothingness, the only significant nod to the ISS National Lab the sneakers feature is a patch on the tongue.
The patch is reminiscent of those designed for space station missions. It features a small satellite above six circles, the names Adidas and ISS National Lab, and the phrase “Boost in Space”. Additionally, the patch features the acronym CRS, which stands for Commercial Resupply Services. This is likely in reference to the inclusion of an Adidas experiment on a commercial resupply mission that is set to be launched to the International Space Station later this year.
The Ultraboost 20 sneakers were released in six limited-edition colorways. In addition to a standard black and white, the collection features a black, a white and a blue colourway that each feature an iridescent purple sole. The final colourway is a bright orange reminiscent of the flight suits used aboard space shuttles from 1994 until the end of the shuttle program.
In conjunction with the Ultraboost 20 sneakers, Adidas has also released the Train Like an Astronaut workout routine to “help runners reach peak performance.”
