adidas Originals and Chinese designer Dingyun Zhang have teamed up again to deliver a highly anticipated capsule collection featuring the all-new adidas Kouza silhouette and two fresh updates to the Samba. This latest collaboration marks the continuation of their ongoing partnership, which began earlier this year with the Dingyun Zhang Samba sneaker.
At the heart of the adidas Kouza is the concept of transformation, inspired by an ornamental plant native to East Asia that changes with the seasons. This innovative silhouette embodies the oscillation between form and function while maintaining elegance and style. The exaggerated heel guard is a subtle nod to motifs found throughout Zhang’s work, while an extended outsole and taped seams create a duality between the shoe’s mesh upper and rubber casing.
Inspired by the adidas Beijing 2008 Boxing Boot, the new silhouette continues a line of tradition and innovation, paying homage to Zhang’s home country. The Kouza’s unapologetically futuristic feel is further enhanced by a sharp, triangular heel guard reminiscent of various adidas EQT models. A key boxing-inspired feature is the open mesh, which adds a unique element to the shoe’s design.
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The quarter features an exposed window lined with TPU, while the tongue and heel are made of mesh over leather panels. Two colorways mark the model’s debut: a sleek black option with sporty blue laces and a more balanced tan, teal and white arrangement.
In addition to the Kouza, the capsule collection also includes two fresh updates of the Dingyun Zhang Samba. Both iterations reimagine the silhouette’s bold foundation entirely in suede, drawing on the deft color palettes of abstract modernist artworks. The new looks include a tonal gray vamp and a brown vamp with a bold orange tongue, laces and white heel tab.
Always looking to push the boundaries of form and function, the latest capsule collection from adidas Originals by Dingyun Zhang will be available at select retailers and CONFIRMED on October 18th.
